While there has been speculation that the Steelers might trade WR George Pickens this offseason, that talk has largely died down in recent days. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, as the Diontae Johnson trade surfaced out of nowhere a year ago. But the impression many have is that the Steelers feel more strongly about Pickens now than they did about Johnson last year.
The consensus seems to be that the Steelers won’t sign George Pickens to a contract extension this offseason, but also that they won’t move him. That could create complications and sets up a potential hold-in later this year. Or he could play the good soldier, understanding that it is his best path to a big contract.
“I think everyone will grit their teeth and go through it for another year”, Brian Batko said on #1 Cochran Sports Showdown about the Steelers’ current situation with George Pickens. “I thought Omar Khan, reading between the lines, he was a little more bullish on George Pickens than he was a year ago when he was asked about Diontae Johnson. And we know how that played out, what, two or three weeks later they traded him to Carolina”.
“I’m not gonna speak to specific negotiations for an individual player, but I have a lot of respect for Diontae”, Khan said of Johnson at year ago. “Usually, as you guys know, the extensions happen later on in the year”. His more recent comments with Pickens were somewhat stronger, saying they had a “really solid” meeting after the 2024 season.
“He has a desire to be great here”, Khan said of Pickens at the Combine this year. “We have a desire for him to be great, and to be great here. We’ll see, with respect to the contract. We won’t discuss that publicly, and usually those things are addressed at a later date”. A little bit different than the messaging the Steelers offered about Diontae Johnson a year ago.
The Diontae Johnson trade, of course, turned into a spectacular failure for the Panthers, though perhaps they viewed it as having not much to lose, since they were likely to release Donte Jackson anyway. The Steelers, of course, would expect far more for George Pickens than they got for Johnson.
That is largely based on perception, because Pickens doesn’t really have the production. In three seasons, he has 12 receiving touchdowns and 2,841 yards on 174 catches. He has yet to make the Pro Bowl, which Johnson did for the Steelers.
Many believe their relationship with Johnson became untenable, to the point where moving on from him was necessary. If the Steelers don’t believe that is the situation with Pickens, they have an obvious motivation to keep him. Provided they can keep him focused and motivated, he can be a tremendous asset. But he takes a lot more massaging than most teams want to commit to.
