George Pickens is undeniably talented as a wide receiver, but his maturity issues, both on and off the field, are piling up. Entering the final season of his rookie contract, it’s time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to make a decision on possibly extending him. According to one insider, that’s not going to happen.
“As we sit here right now, I just cannot foresee any scenario where they would sign him to a new contract,” Ray Fittipaldo said via Troupcast on oneBURGH’s YouTube channel. “I think it’s either trade him in March when there’s a lot of interest right around the time free agency starts or do it at the draft where teams might be a little more willing to do it and give up draft picks rather than players.”
As Fittipaldo later notes, the other option is to let him play out the final year of his contract. That doesn’t seem to be a viable option, given Pickens’ maturity issues. He would be on a lame-duck contract with no long-term financial security. He would be playing for a new contract and not necessarily with the Steelers, so any game in which he didn’t receive enough targets could result in slightly more elevated emotions.
Multiple teammates have stated that Pickens is just fine in the locker room and that he loves football. While he’s earned the negativity that surrounds him from some of the unnecessary post-snap penalties and showing up late for meetings and games, it has led people to paint with a broad brush about what type of teammate he is.
Pickens recently took to social media to shut down a media outlet posing the idea of trading Pickens. It doesn’t sound like that is his preferred option.
If they do move on, the big issue is what to do next. The Steelers have basically no plan to replace him as the WR1 on the roster. Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III will be around, but both are probably better suited for slot work with the occasional versatility to play outside. You can’t simply move on from your receiver without a plan to replace him. Getting rid of Pickens would essentially pigeonhole the Steelers into selecting a WR in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The other option would include looking to free agency, but true WR1s are extremely expensive. A player like Tee Higgins is unlikely to occur for that reason.
Ultimately, Fittipaldo leans towards trading Pickens. That wouldn’t surprise me, but something tells me that Mike Tomlin believes he can manage the situation and keep Pickens around while they figure out a plan for the future of the WR1 position.
