George Pickens has 115 catches for 1,941 yards and 9 touchdowns through his first two seasons. The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver led the NFL in 2023 with 18.1 yards per reception. He has already proven the kind of talent that he possesses, so what more is there? He has to prove that he deserves a second contract, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I’d argue the Steelers still don’t know if they should sign Pickens to a second contract”, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter claimed in a recent chat session. “Based on his 2023 season I think that’s a smart approach on their part. There is more to being a No. 1 WR than making a couple of acrobatic catches and the occasional long TD catch”.
A second-round draft pick in 2022 out of Georgia, George Pickens quickly rose to prominence with his circus catches. He was a jump-ball machine during his rookie season, but less so last year. As the season wore on, he also became increasingly rattled, affecting both his attitude and his performance.
He still finished the 2023 season with 63 catches for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns, helped by a late run. Even with zero targets in the finale, Pickens caught 11 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns in the final three weeks. Up to that point, he was on pace for 988 yards.
All of this talk about a second contract for George Pickens would be premature were it not for the backdrop of a potential trade. For example, if the Steelers were to trade for Brandon Aiyuk, he is your No. 1 receiver.
Then what do you do with Pickens? Do you allow him to play out his contract? Do you try to swing two premium wide receiver deals under your salary cap? You already know that Aiyuk is willing to act somewhat belligerent when he wants money.
But these are the things they have to think about now before considering a trade like one for Aiyuk. One could argue that by bringing him in, you are saying George Pickens isn’t your top receiver. Perhaps you’re even saying goodbye to him.
“Many No. 1 WRs across the league are more consistent than Pickens”, Fittipaldo argued. “Yes, he had some big games, but he was quiet in others. Was that due to the QB situation? Probably, but he has to finds ways to contribute on a more consistent basis. That’s what No. 1 WRs do in my opinion”.
Pickens improved from his first season to his second in some areas, such as his route-running ability. He still remains a significant work in progress even there, however, and he will need to show he can get open consistently to be that top target.
And I’m guessing the Steelers want him to show a lot more maturity and composure. Many coaches and even players were pretty outspoken toward the end of last season about how he needs to mature. Perhaps they want to see if he really has before committing big money to him. How does he handle adversity when he’s not getting the ball and the team is struggling? Does he make more “business decisions” and pout on the bench? Does he give less effort on combat catches, or not get his feet inbounds on the sideline?
