The Pittsburgh Steelers still haven’t traded for Brandon Aiyuk, despite rumors continuing to fly about the situation. It seems like he should end up with the Steelers, but at this point, anything could happen. If Aiyuk does get traded to the Steelers, though, he’s also going to get a huge new contract. That could ruffle some feathers in the locker room with so many guys looking for new deals. Former general manager Michael Lombardi believes it could create a serious rift between the team and George Pickens.
Speaking on his podcast The GM Shuffle, Lombardi said he believes that Pickens could become frustrated if the Steelers trade for and pay Aiyuk.
“If I were Omar Khan, I would be really scared of Pickens because if I do the Aiyuk deal and pay him $30 million, I’m gonna have a really unhappy George Pickens on my hand,” Lombardi said. “He’s gonna be unhappy not getting the ball. He’s not eligible for a contract extension yet, so that’s the problem. What do you pay him? He’s gonna have a real issue there.”
Lombardi’s worries are fair in some ways, but probably not in others. One big criticism of the Steelers current offense is that opposing teams will just put Pickens in double coverage because they don’t have a quality No. 2 receiver. There’s been speculation that Pickens would grow unhappy that he can’t get many open looks. If he’d be unhappy in that scenario, and he’d also be unhappy with Aiyuk taking some of the pressure off, in what situation would Pickens be happy?
The reality is that Pickens’ usage wouldn’t go down with Aiyuk on the Steelers. They’d share the field, and Pickens would probably be in a better place to succeed with Aiyuk as his running mate. He seemed to be functioning fine when Diontae Johnson was with the Steelers. Granted, Aiyuk is better than Johnson, but the principle is the same.
The real issue could come when Pickens becomes eligible for an extension after this season. As Lombardi goes on to say, he can see this leading the Steelers to trade Pickens at some point.
“I could see them trading George [Pickens] if he got to become a problem, because somebody will take on that problem because he’s got so much talent. He is gonna be a problem if Aiyuk walks in there making $30 plus million a year, I can promise you that.”
If Pickens does have a fantastic season next to Aiyuk this year, then he’ll be in line for a big payday. He’s still under contract for next season, but the Steelers could face their own version of this Aiyuk situation if Pickens refuses to play before he gets an extension.
It wouldn’t be the first time the Steelers traded a receiver rather than pay him. Johnson is a recent example. They’ve also been fine letting receivers leave in free agency, using the draft to constantly replenish at that position. If Pickens does want out, or if he and the Steelers can’t agree on a contract, then they probably won’t be scared to move on from him.
The reality is that saying Pickens will become a problem if the Steelers acquire Aiyuk is too rash of a take. Nothing is certain, especially in the NFL. Maybe he gets frustrated, or maybe he doesn’t. Aiyuk isn’t even a Steeler yet, so worrying about this problem now is useless. They have to actually get the deal done first.
Lombardi has experience as an executive, so maybe his prediction ends up coming true, but it’s too early to make that kind of judgment call. Once the trade actually happens and we get to see how Aiyuk and Pickens fit together in Arthur Smith’s offense, then the situation may become clearer. Until then, Pickens is this team’s No. 1 receiver, and he seems comfortable in that role.
