Despite the Pittsburgh Steelers having a talented player like wide receiver George Pickens, there’s still a problem in the room. Beyond Pickens, the unit is thin and Pickens himself invites plenty of drama. Complicating things even further is the fact that Pickens only has one year remaining on his rookie contract. The Steelers find themselves in a pickle, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo doesn’t see it ending anytime soon.
“I think a new contract is a far-fetched scenario this summer,” Fittipaldo said in his chat on Tuesday. “He [George Pickens] has not behaved like someone they would want to have on their team long-term.”
Pickens’ situation is frustrating from all angles. Since coming into the league, he’s routinely made jaw-dropping plays. He’s compiled 2,841 receiving yards through 48 career games and scored 13 times. Those are solid numbers, especially considering the problems the Steelers have had elsewhere on the offense during his time.
The frustration lies elsewhere for Pickens, but his numbers and performance on the field haven’t been good enough to make up for it. Make no mistake, 59 receptions for 900 yards in one season, like Pickens had in 2024, is a good stat line for a receiver. But with the problems the Steelers have had with Pickens, the production just isn’t good enough to sweep them under the rug, like the Steelers might have done with – say – Antonio Brown back in the day.
The Steelers eventually cut ties with Brown and traded him to the Oakland Raiders. A similar situation could develop here with Pickens, albeit without the trade. Pickens hits the open market after the 2025 season. If things aren’t amended during that time, some receiver-needy team out there will be willing to pay Pickens more than the Steelers feel comfortable with.
The Steelers are in a tough spot. They can move on from Pickens, and maybe save themselves a headache. Doing that would force them to completely rebuild the receiver position. This year, they could potentially find a veteran to help him out, and maybe add a younger player in the draft in case Pickens did decide to leave in free agency.
On Tuesday, Steelers GM Omar Khan spoke about Pickens. He said they had a “really solid” exit meeting with him, and that both Pickens and the Steelers had a desire to make things work with the receiver in Pittsburgh. Regarding the contract, he said that “usually” those things will be addressed later.
So it seems Fittipaldo is right here. If he is, then Pickens will be their biggest decision next year aside from T.J. Watt, who also sees his contract expire, although there isn’t really any concerns about him leaving. The 2026 offseason is still shaping up to be an important one for the Steelers.
