If wide receiver George Pickens puts on a brave face and doesn’t push the “trade me” button the way DK Metcalf did, which eventually brought him to Pittsburgh, he’s set to play out the final year of his rookie contract and leave the Steelers next offseason. And though that makes him a sensible trade candidate, Steeler’s beat writer Mark Kaboly explains why that’s unlikely to occur.
Joining 93.7 The Fan’s Austin Bechtold Saturday afternoon, Kaboly maintained that a scenario in which Pittsburgh extends Pickens, this offseason or next, is highly unlikely.
“I think there’s zero chance that happens,” Kaboly said of Pickens inking a long-term deal. “You pay Metcalf $30 [million]…this is almost a one-and-done. I don’t see any way that he would come back at all.”
Even with a rising salary cap, the odds of Pittsburgh giving large long-term contracts to two receivers are low. Especially someone as volatile as Pickens. Ownership clearly isn’t convinced he’s worth that sort of investment and Metcalf jumped the line after the biggest trade in Steelers’ history. Unless they somehow find their rookie quarterback of the future in 2025, giving them a cheap contract the next several seasons, they won’t even think about investing in Pickens.
So why not trade him? If Pittsburgh is destined to let him walk, why not add a draft pick to snag a cheap four-year contract in the draft?
“They think they can win now,” Kaboly said. “With every decision they make, they believe they’re gonna win the division, get into the playoffs, and have a chance at the Super Bowl. The fans might not believe it as a whole, but the organization believes in it.”
It’s an accurate view of how the Steelers, right or wrong, views themselves. Always contending, never rebuilding. It’s why they’re squarely in the mix for 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, as short-term rental as there could possibly be. The Steelers believe their window to win exists so long as their defense features DL Cam Heyward, EDGE T.J. Watt, and FS Minkah Fitzpatrick.
And so Pickens will stay in an effort to help them win. Trading Pickens puts Pittsburgh in a similar spot as last year, swapping Metcalf in for Pickens’ role as the clear No. 1 receiver garnering plenty of defensive attention.
Knowing Metcalf went for a second-round pick, Pickens likely only fetches a third. With a good season, he probably returns a third-round comp pick after signing elsewhere. Pittsburgh will need to wait until the 2027 NFL Draft to make use of it but it’s a factor that doesn’t make a trade worth it. Unless, of course, Pickens forces the team’s hands to ship him somewhere else, a storyline worth watching the rest of the offseason.
