Year 3 in the marriage of wide receiver George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers has produced some high, memorable moments and some low, frustrating moments, too.
Despite him emerging early in the season as a true No. 1 receiver and a big-time downfield threat in the passing game, particularly once Russell Wilson took over at QB, Pickens — like the Steelers as a whole — has backed into the playoffs, coming off of the worst performance of his career.
In the 19-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 18, Pickens had three crucial drops, finished with a stat line of just one reception for zero yards, and was captured on camera by ESPN seemingly arguing with fans in the stands on the sideline, needing to be restrained by tight end Pat Freiermuth.
That quick moment on camera was a microcosm of Pickens’ season: frustrating, some unnecessary moments, and a headache that seemingly won’t subside.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who appeared on 93.7 The Fan’s PM Show Wednesday with Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller, believes that the Steelers and Pickens are heading towards a “mutual divorce” after a frustrating year.
When asked if he believes Pickens is playing for his future in Pittsburgh Saturday night, Florio said it’s up to Pickens in the end.
“Well, that assumes he wants one [a future]. I feel like we’re moving toward mutual divorce territory with the two [sides] and his body language, his demeanor, the fact that Mike Tomlin’s done such a great job of keeping guys who might be problems under control until either the very end of a long career or after they’re gone,” Florio said of Pickens, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “And we’ve seen so much acting out from George Pickens, and Tomlin, at times, seems exasperated and says he’s gotta grow up.”
Pickens has had some frustrating moments this season that leave one scratching their head. The two personal foul penalties in Cincinnati in Week 13 for celebrating post-play by dropping the ball on a defender and later mimicking firing a gun led Tomlin to state that Pickens has to grow up and grow up fast.
There was also the moment in Week 5 against Dallas in which Pickens had an expletive written out on his eye black and then got into a bit of a scuffle with Cowboys’ cornerback Jourdan Lewis after that loss.
There was also the moment after the Christmas Day loss to the Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium when he went up to Kelce and Mahomes to dap them up on live TV, rating questions about what in the world he was trying to accomplish. It’s been a headache, and that’s been the case for all three years.
So, even with Pickens seemingly growing as a player, shaking off an early argument in training camp with new WRs coach Zach Azzanni to become a consistent, dependable weapon for much of the year, things are wearing thin for Pickens in Pittsburgh.
That’s why Florio thinks a change could be coming.
“…it seems like the Steelers are at the point where they wouldn’t mind to move on from him,” Florio added. “And that one won’t surprise me either, especially if they lose. I think some serious wind of change could blow if they lose on Saturday night.”
George Pickens was listed as a potential off-season trade candidate by Pro Football Focus earlier in the week. Since he’ll be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 and it being unlikely that the Steelers would extend him at this point, a trade could happen, leaving the Steelers needing to completely overhaul the WR room this offseason.
