George Pickens is entering the most important season of his NFL career. He’s had some nice moments with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is clearly their best offensive player at the moment. However, despite his talent, he’s having enough of his own issues that the Steelers aren’t overly eager to lock him up for the future. 2025 represents a chance to turn things around, though. Steelers’ GM Omar Khan thinks Pickens is receptive to that idea.
Khan was asked whether he was worried about a potential holdout/hold-in situation with Pickens.
“After the season, George [Pickens] and I had a real candid conversation in our exit meeting,” Khan said to KDKA’s Rich Walsh on Tuesday. “He understands our expectations for him.”
In terms of expectations, there are plenty regarding Pickens. That’s because he’s so talented. The Steelers need him to be at his A-game all the time. We saw how much the Steelers struggled to move the ball down the field when he missed time with an injury last year. That’s a lot of pressure for a young player like Pickens.
That said, Pickens certainly hasn’t handled it as well as he could have. From instances of him pulling opponents’ face masks to being late to games and his visible frustration at times, he’s been more of a distraction than the Steelers would like.
Given the state of today’s NFL, though, Pickens potentially holding out, or as has become more common, holding in, to demand a new deal is something that could happen. To be clear, there isn’t anything to suggest that as a likely scenario. However, given the fact that Pickens is entering the final year of his deal, it’s an avenue he could choose to take. Khan didn’t mention anything about a holdout when asked by Walsh. Some Steelers insiders think an extension before the season begins is unlikely.
Khan mentioned on Tuesday that he had a positive exit meeting with Pickens. He also thinks Pickens wants to be great, specifically as a Steeler.
“I honestly believe he has a desire to be great and to be great as a Steeler,” Khan said. “So we’re working to put pieces around the offense that will help us all be successful.”
Thus, 2025 is a massive year for Pickens and if he truly wants to be the next great Steelers’ receiver, this upcoming season could be the last to state his case. If not, he’s likely playing elsewhere by 2026.
