Last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver room was lacking. DK Metcalf should change that this year. He and George Pickens should make an amazing duo. However, that hinges on Pickens being with the Steelers for the 2025 season. Recent reports have indicated that the Steelers could trade Pickens. Nothing materialized during the 2025 NFL Draft, but there’s a lot of offseason left. ESPN insider Adam Schefter doesn’t think a Pickens trade will come any time soon, though.
“I think the Steelers are open to listening on George Pickens,” Schefter said Wednesday on the show Rothman and Ice on the radio station 97.1 The Fan. “I think it’s not a simple deal to pull off. You’re talking about a very talented wide receiver, but someone who has had some punctuality issues.
“I think that they’ve brought it up. I don’t think that there’s a team out there that’s willing to give up what Pittsburgh would need to part ways with a wide receiver as talented as George Pickens. Right now, I don’t view it as viable. That certainly could change. I think Pittsburgh would listen, I think Pittsburgh has listened, and I don’t think anything’s come close to happening with him.”
Pickens is entering the last year of his contract, which is why the Steelers could move him. They just gave Metcalf a massive contract, and it seems unlikely that they’d give Pickens a huge deal as well. That’s likely especially true due to his repeated attitude problems.
The Pickens trade rumors really began to pick up steam before the draft. It seemed possible that he could get moved during the draft. However, according to Schefter, no deal ever got close to happening. No team was likely willing to meet the Steelers’ asking price, whatever that is.
Schefter is correct that trading Pickens is complicated, despite his talent. There was a report that Pickens was late to a game last year. He was also involved in several fights on the field and routinely drew unnecessary penalties that hurt Pittsburgh. Also, there’s no guarantee that Pickens will re-sign with any team that trades for him. There’s a lot of risk associated with him.
It doesn’t sound like the Steelers are totally committed to Pickens, though. If someone meets their asking price, they’ll probably be willing to part with him. There just isn’t a dance partner for them at the moment. As the season draws closer, that could change. A contending team could be interested in adding Pickens, or an injury could lead a team to inquire about him. A deal could still be made.
