Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens is a conundrum. He’s got incredible physical talent with an uncanny ability to turn 50-50 balls into 80-20. And he’s shown an ability to work well with QB Russell Wilson. Both of his touchdowns this season have come with Wilson as the quarterback.
But Pickens also has shown a propensity for head-scratching antics. The latest came in the Thursday night loss to the Cleveland Browns. On the game-ending Hail Mary attempt, Pickens never even attempted to make a play on the ball. Instead, he got involved in a scuffle.
So what is Pickens’ future in Pittsburgh? Will his talent win out? Or will the Steelers cut ties soon? Former Steelers front office executive Doug Whaley isn’t bullish on his long-term prospects.
“Everybody knows, it’s going to come to an end very badly,” Whaley said Wednesday on the Fan Morning Show. “He is talented and what I call talent is this great seductress. So Medusa is there. And you keep Medusa until it comes to end just like it did with AB, just like Santonio Holmes. Just keep on running down the list. But I would do it just for right now because you got a window, the defense is hanging on by a thread. You sign Russell for three or four years, keep ’em together ’cause you have a target and a talent. Add some talent there [and] when the other talents you add start to overtake him and he starts to, when his production dips where you can’t tolerate anymore, get rid of him.”
The reality is that Pickens is the best wide receiver on the Steelers by a country mile. He averages 16.3 yards per catch and has 11 receiving touchdowns since joining the Steelers as a second-round draft pick in 2022. He’s an incredible contested-catch wide receiver. He can make plays in the air and with the ball in his hands.
But head coach Mike Tomlin is having to spend a lot of time addressing Pickens’ on-field behavior and comments in the media. Tomlin pointed to how the Browns handled the Hail Mary as to why Pickens didn’t make a play on the ball, not Pickens getting into the scuffle. The head coach should be focused on rebounding from a tough loss, not making excuses for the team’s star receiver.
You can absolutely make the argument that Pickens’ talent is worth the headache relative to the rest of the talent at the position. But Whaley predicts that the time will come when that equation changes. Either Pickens will tail off or the team will add good wide receivers. The Steelers have shown an uncanny ability to move on from wide receivers like the aforementioned Antonio Brown and even Chase Claypool at the right time.
Hopefully for the Steelers’ sake, they are able to make the right choices regarding George Pickens as well.
