There’s a lot of noise surrounding what players the Pittsburgh Steelers could bring in this offseason. However, there’s also a possibility that they ship players out of Pittsburgh. Last year, they made a surprising move by trading Diontae Johnson. Could they do something similar this year with George Pickens? ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell believes some teams could have real interest in acquiring the talented but temperamental wide receiver.
“I think you’re going to have franchises who feel like, ‘Our culture is great, we’re great coaching. The juice is worth the squeeze for George Pickens,'” Barnwell said recently on NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal. “The Steelers might say to themselves, ‘We can get the next George Pickens in the draft and not have to deal with maybe as many headaches as we’ve dealt with over these last few [years].'”
There’s been no indication that the Steelers are going to trade Pickens, but there wasn’t much warning when they traded Johnson last March either. There are a few reasons why they could choose to move on from the young star, though.
First, Pickens’ attitude was a serious problem last year. While he still looked great on the field, too often he allowed his emotions to control him. He regularly had outbursts that caused distractions for the team. The Steelers have dealt with players like that in the past, and they’ve shown they aren’t afraid to move on when the headache outweighs the talent.
Second, Pickens is going into the final year of his rookie contract. He might want an extension before the 2025 season starts. There’s no telling how much money he’ll ask for as well. Even though Pickens is incredibly talented, the Steelers would probably have some reservations giving him a huge deal. His character issues make him unreliable at times.
Also, the Steelers have a history of drafting talented receivers and then trading them when they’ve overstayed their welcome. Martavis Bryant, Antonio Brown, Chase Claypool, and Johnson all got traded. There’s precedence for a Pickens trade to happen.
However, receiver is also a huge need for the Steelers this offseason. If they trade Pickens, their receiving corps will look pretty barren. They’d probably need to use the draft and free agency to replace Pickens. Barnwell is correct that the Steelers have been great at drafting receivers, but Pickens is a special talent. Finding the next George Pickens is much easier said than done.
At the moment, it’s unclear if the Steelers will deal Pickens. Despite his attitude, Barnwell is probably correct that some teams will be enticed enough by Pickens’ talent that a market will exist for him. If the Steelers want to move him, they’ll probably be able to. The ball is in their court, though. They’d be hurting what is already one of their weakest position groups by moving him. It might be safer to stick with Pickens.
