Exciting as the news of wide receiver DK Metcalf landing in Pittsburgh is, it leaves a host of unanswered questions. Who will be throwing him the ball bigger than the rest. But it also calls into question the status of George Pickens. Heading into the last year of his rookie deal and watching the team acquire a No. 1-caliber player and back up the money truck for him, is Pickens on his way out?
Right now, it’s impossible to say. Before the Metcalf move, Pickens felt pretty safe to play out the last year of his rookie deal. Pittsburgh showed little appetite in extending him, unwilling to commit large amounts of money to a player who has proven to be volatile and often immature. But as the team’s only starting caliber receiver and one of the offense’s few playmakers, trading him away didn’t make short-term sense.
How will Pickens respond to Metcalf’s presence and price tag? Will he push even harder for a similar long-term deal? If Pittsburgh doesn’t budge, what happens? Pickens skipping voluntary spring workouts is likely and perhaps he doesn’t even show up for the team’s voluntary three-day minicamp.
Will there be a training camp hold-in? It’s a popular leverage play among big-name athletes, including EDGE T.J. Watt in 2021. In 2024, TE Pat Freiermuth and RB Najee Harris opted against a hold-in and practiced fully despite entering the final year of their contracts, too. Freiermuth was rewarded with a long-term deal. Harris was not.
Who the Steelers tab at quarterback could influence that decision. Russell Wilson showed the best chemistry with Pickens and has defended him to the media. Perhaps his re-signing would convince Pickens to stay and thrive in a moon-ball based passing game where he won’t be double-covered the way he was in 2024 as the Steelers’ lone pass-game threat.
Like everything else with George Pickens, what happens going forward is unpredictable. Like Metcalf and other wide receivers who have asked for and gotten trades, including Deebo Samuel, Pickens could ask to go somewhere else. Or he could play out the year and look to cash in on the market in 2026, assuming the Steelers don’t exercise their leverage with the franchise tag.
While reaction to the Metcalf deal is still unfolding, Pickens could eventually replace him as the top headline. In an ideal world for Pittsburgh, the Steelers have both leading their passing game in 2024. They’d be among the NFL’s most dangerous duos. But Mike Tomlin lives by a “volunteers, not hostages” motto and it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if Pickens asked to go elsewhere.
