The Pittsburgh Steelers have quite a few large decisions to make this offseason, and near the top of the list is what to do with WR George Pickens.
He just wrapped up the third year of his rookie contract, which is typically the time that long-term extensions are offered to players. If they can’t reach a deal this offseason, he would enter the season without any security for his future, and that could potentially cause issues. A number of Steelers insiders have expressed their concerns that the team would either have to extend him or trade him to a team that will. More and more players have been choosing to hold out for contracts, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Pickens do the same.
Following the Steelers’ playoff loss, Pickens wasn’t ready to shift his thinking to what this pivotal offseason could mean for him.
“I’m really just thinking about right now, to be honest,” Pickens said via the Steelers’ YouTube. “Can’t even think about the future, just thinking about what just happened.”
Pickens took a step forward in a lot of ways this year, but he didn’t quite rise to the status of being an unquestioned WR1. He made a lot of great plays, but he wasn’t consistently catching five or six passes a game, and he only had 100 or more yards in two games with the last one coming in Week 7.
He finished the year with 59 receptions on 103 targets for 900 yards and three touchdowns. His targets and receptions were very close to last season’s total, but he had 240 less yards and two less touchdowns. He also missed three games, which held him back some. In a full 17 games, he was on pace for 71.6 receptions, 1,092.9 yards, and 3.6 TDs.
Those numbers aren’t in line with a typical WR1, and they weren’t quite up to the expectations that many had for him entering the year. With a new quarterback room and offensive coordinator, and without a great WR2 option aside from him, the Steelers needed him to take the next step to be one of the best in the league.
At his best, Pickens is one of the very best receivers in the league. He makes plays that not many can make, like his touchdown catch tonight. But he also has shown maturity issues throughout his first three seasons with the team, and they haven’t really improved as he’s gotten older.
To be fair, his press conference after the game was unremarkable and without any issues. He was even complimentary of his team and the growth of multiple units on offense.
Is the juice worth the squeeze with Pickens? Can the Steelers be certain enough about him to tie themselves to him for multiple years on a long-term extension? If not, can they be comfortable having him play out the final year of his rookie contract without causing issues? These will be the questions that we discuss all offseason long.
