Following the trade for DK Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers immediately handed out a five-year, $150 million extension, locking him up for the star wide receiver foreseeable future. It was a move the needed to happen for the Steelers, who have been searching for a star receiver for the last year or so under GM Omar Khan.
While the move was largely celebrated, it immediately raised questions about the future for wide receiver George Pickens, who is in the final year of his rookie contract and likely wants to be paid.
With the Metcalf contract in place, Pickens is unlikely to get paid in Pittsburgh, especially before the start of the 2025 season. So, that raises the possibility of a trade, which would make sense as the Steelers could try to move off a receiver who has had some problems with maturity and emotions in his three years in Pittsburgh.
Or they could keep him and run it back for one final season and see what magic can be created between Metcalf and Pickens.
For the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo, a possible trade of Pickens comes down to, unsurprisingly, Pickens. Appearing on the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show, Fittipaldo stated that Pickens’ future in Pittsburgh for the 2025 season is in his hands and is determined by how he handles things.
“Like, if George is a good soldier and he comes in and he works and he puts his head down and he wants to be a part of this thing, I think there will probably be a tendency to keep him,” Fittipaldo said, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “But…what this Metcalf acquisition does, it gives them all of their options, right? So if they do want to trade George this week, they could do that. If they wanna trade George on draft day, they could do that. You’d probably get, I don’t know about a second, you’re probably get maybe a third in return for him.
“Maybe you could turn around and draft another receiver, a guy who’s gonna be here beyond next season. So that’s the difficult part of this. Listen, if [Aaron] Rodgers is the guy and you’re gonna go for it, one last shot with this core, gotta keep Pickens. But if not, if it doesn’t work out, then they certainly have the ability to deal him at some point.”
Putting the ball in Pickens’ court following the Metcalf trade seems like a smart move, if that’s what the Steelers are doing. It’s testing the young receiver, seeing if he can mature and grow and take advantage of the opportunity. Having a true star opposite him will only free him up for more plays in 2025, which could lead to a significantly larger pay day for Pickens.
But at the same time, seeing a receiver from outside the organization get a big check without having played a snap for the team yet, and potentially taking targets and shine away from Pickens could send him in a tailspin. NFL Network analyst and former running back Maurice Jones-Drew says Pickens is ready to explode, but in a good way. Time will tell.
The ball is in Pickens’ court determining his future in 2025 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers hold all the cards though. They can keep him or trade him. Both would work in favor of the Steelers. It’ll be up to Pickens which way it goes.
