Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens is in line for a big second season, and on The Pivot Podcast, he went more in-depth on what his 2023 goals are.
“Trying to get over 1k for sure. I want to go to the Pro Bowl, I want us to win the Super Bowl too,” Pickens said. “I know what the feeling of a [National Championship] feel like, and everyone feel like they won.”
For the Steelers, the most important of those goals will be winning the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh hasn’t experienced a lot of playoff success in recent years, not winning a postseason game since 2016. This is the year they need to prove that can change, so that will obviously be the number one goal as it is each and every season.
For Pickens, being able to show that he’s a complete receiver should make his quest for 1,000+ yards attainable. He had 804 yards last season when he was pretty much limited to fly routes, but if his route tree expands as it should and he becomes a more capable route runner and better at creating yards after the catch, he’ll be able to hit 1,000 yards.
The only issue is going to be the volume of targets, since the Steelers and QB Kenny Pickett have a lot of mouths to feed on offense and still want to win with the run game. But Pickens could ascend to being the team’s top receiver, and if he does and can put up around 1,200 yards, he should be a Pro Bowl player in the AFC.
The 1,000-yard season and Pro Bowl sort of goes in hand-in-hand, and while both are more individual accolades, it’s clear that Pickens wants to win a Super Bowl. Being a Pro Bowl-caliber player is something that could help Pittsburgh reach its Super Bowl goals this season.
As Pickens said, he knows what winning a championship is like, since he hoisted the College Football Playoff Trophy at Georgia. It’s a much grander scale in the NFL, with the Super Bowl being the biggest game in the world. It would truly give everyone the feeling, from the fans to the front office to the players, that they won.
His goals are attainable. A Super Bowl win is going to be hard, but it’s always hard, no matter how much talent you have. But if Pickens can continue to show he’s improved on the facets of his game that aren’t just related to his physical attributes, he could be one of the better receivers in the league and push for closer to 1,500 yards.
