In his first game working with Russell Wilson, WR George Pickens caught five passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers’ top target also drew a 29-yard defensive pass interference penalty in addition to scoring his first touchdown this year. He ranks eighth in the league in receiving yards through seven weeks at 474, with the potential for growth. Has he now solidified himself as a “legitimate” No. 1 WR, one you throw big contracts at?
“No”, Pickens has not, Ray Fittipaldo still feels, speaking on 93.7 The Fan yesterday. “He was much better in this past game. Obviously, a big beneficiary of Russell Wilson and that deep ball. I think we can expect that to, if not be the norm, see a lot more of that now.
“George [Pickens] has some baggage. I think being on good behavior has to happen for more than one or two weeks. I’m still sort of wait and see there. I think he certainly has the potential to be, but as I’m sitting here right now, if you’re asking me if I would commit $25 million to him over a new four-year contract, my answer would probably be no”.
This is an important conversation to have now because George Pickens is due for an extension in 2025. A 2022 second-round pick, next year will be a contract year, and many top players demand new deals then. I think we can reasonably assume that Pickens could be one such player to make those demands.
The Steelers are willing to pay big bucks to wide receivers, reportedly willing to sign Brandon Aiyuk to a deal worth comfortably north of $25 million if they were to have successfully traded for him. They also explored trading for Davante Adams and his $28-million-per-season deal. Pickens is making $1,318,836 this year, and is on the books for $1,625,754 in 2025, though that will increase.
George Pickens has 146 receptions for 2,415 yards and 10 touchdowns in 41 career games. He produces 16.5 yards per reception for his career with nine receptions of 40-plus yards. For his career, he has 48 receptions that have gone for explosive plays of 20 yards or more, for which he ranks sixth since entering the NFL.
But he still comes with plenty of baggage, as Fittipaldo acknowledged. While he has played the good soldier for most of the season, Pickens still managed to act out. He wrote “Open Fucking Always” on his eye black a couple games ago and drew a fine for pulling an opponent down by his facemask out of frustration. Once again, he also faced criticism for his lack of effort in blocking, though he is working on that.
While he has tremendous talent, paying a wide receiver $25 million (perhaps more realistically $30 million) is a critical decision. George Pickens has not always looked like a culture fit with the Steelers due to his inability to control himself. Mike Tomlin has juggled volatile wide receivers in the past, but they have to justify the effort with superior productivity.
