"This is a horrible organization" - Mark Madden mocks Steelers’ arrogance in draft failures after George Pickens trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys earlier this week in exchange for 2026 draft compensation. With that move, another wide receiver drafted by Pittsburgh will leave without signing a second contract. This adds to the team’s growing struggles with holding onto young talent.

Sports talk host Mark Madden criticized the Steelers’ decisions. He questioned why the team even drafted players like Pickens, Troy Fautanu, and Kenny Pickett, calling them poor choices. Madden added, saying the team often acts like every decision it makes is right, even when it’s not.

“It makes you wonder all the more why they drafted Pickens in the first place. This is a horrible organization run haphazardly,” Madden said on Monday.

“These guys don’t know what they are doing. They think every decision is right because they make it. And when it turns out to be wrong, they are more convinced that it is right.”

The Steelers reportedly tried to trade George Pickens during this year’s draft, but no team was interested. Per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, some teams even laughed at bringing the 24-year-old into their locker room. Others believe the Steelers should’ve waited until after the 2025 season, when Pickens could’ve improved his value playing next to DK Metcalf.

Since 2007, the Steelers have drafted 16 wide receivers eligible for extensions. However, only three got a second contract. Many others were either traded, cut, or left in free agency. Although the team once had success developing players like Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, recent years have shown a different trend.

This offseason, the Steelers brought in Metcalf and signed Robert Woods. The team is leaning more on veteran receivers instead of drafting new ones. Even though six receivers drafted in the Mike Tomlin era have now been traded, the front office says it won’t change how they build the roster going forward.

Omar Khan: George Pickens' trade was a fresh start, not a disappointment

Speaking on George Pickens' trade, Steelers general manager Omar Khan said on Friday that he doesn’t view the trade as a disappointment. Khan said the trade talks began after the 2025 NFL draft when Dallas reached out with an offer. Discussions followed between the front office and Pickens' agent, David Mulugheta.

“I wouldn’t use the word ‘disappointment,’” Khan told reporters, via The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “We had three years with George. We had some exciting times. The fresh start for both sides was the best thing.”

He also clarified that Pickens did not request a trade. According to Khan, the internal review of the situation (not a formal request) led to the final decision to move on from the former second-round pick.