Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens is putting in plenty of work entering a contract year. He’s spending part of his offseason training with the James Everett Jr., better known as the “Route God,” a well-known trainer who has spent time with plenty of top NFL receivers in the past.
Earlier today, Everett shared this video to his social media channels.
For what it’s worth, Pickens is wearing a “Can’t Believe You Doubted Me,” T-shirt. The clips showed him working on his release and break point mid-route.
Pickens has previously trained with Everett, spending time last offseason working together. Last August, Pickens touted improvement in his intermediate routes. Other former Steelers to work with him include WR Diontae Johnson and CB Cam Sutton. In fact, you can see Johnson in the background of the video.
Drafted in 2022, George Pickens is in the final year of his rookie contract. Pittsburgh seems unlikely to extend him on a long-term deal after trading for and signing DK Metcalf to a $150 million contract as their No. 1 wide receiver. So far, Pickens has shown little public reaction to the move though TE Pat Freiermuth indicated Pickens was embracing Metcalf’s addition to the team.
Speculation over Pickens possibly being traded has picked up in recent weeks. If that were to happen, a draft day deal would be the most logical time. Still, Pittsburgh could hold onto Pickens for the season in the hopes of building their most successful offense in years, allowing Pickens to hit free agency in 2026. Pittsburgh could receive a compensatory selection for him in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Highly motivated for a variety of reasons, Pickens will look to have a career year. But he’ll need a quarterback to help get him there, making him as tuned in for what Aaron Rodgers does as anyone over the next several weeks.
