Despite an unsettled quarterback situation, the Pittsburgh Steelers made improvements to their roster this offseason. They traded for DK Metcalf, signed Darius Slay, and drafted Derrick Harmon. Those moves all help them shore up positions of need. However, after trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, wide receiver becomes a weakness for the Steelers again. Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long believes Pittsburgh is sending a message with that move.
“The Steelers don’t think they’re gonna be very good,” Long said recently on his Green Light with Chris Long podcast. “I would agree. I hate to say that, and I’m sure these Pittsburgh Steeler aggregators, as they love to do, are gonna scoop these quotes up and turn them into a real negative thing, but you said it, not me.
“The Steelers, your favorite team, said it, not me. Your favorite team said it, ‘We are not gonna be that good this year.’ If they are very good this year, I will be shocked. If this is a playoff team, make Mike Tomlin Coach of the Year.”
Going into every season, the Steelers’ goal is to win the Super Bowl, but that isn’t very realistic, especially with what they’ve got under center right now. They haven’t even won a playoff game in eight years, so they should probably walk before they run.
However, it’s debatable if the Pickens trade is the Steelers admitting that they won’t be competitive in 2025. While it does make them worse right now, it’s not a totally shocking move. Pickens is going into the last year of his rookie contract, and the Steelers seemed unlikely to give him a new deal. Along with his attitude issues, that made Pickens a prime trade candidate.
This offseason, most of the Steelers’ moves seem to have signaled that they plan on being competitive. That includes trading for Metcalf, not spending a high draft pick on a quarterback, and pursuing Aaron Rodgers.
The timing of the Pickens trade does the opposite, though. If the Steelers had traded him earlier this offseason, they could’ve potentially received draft capital for this year. Instead, they received future assets. Their team is worse without Pickens.
Maybe the Steelers have a plan to replace Pickens, though. They’ve made the playoffs with bad offenses before. Long sounds confident the Steelers won’t make the postseason this year, but they’ve surpassed people’s expectations in the past.
Also, the Steelers’ goal shouldn’t be to just make the playoffs. They’ve been doing that, and it isn’t good enough. Pittsburgh should be trying to win a playoff game. Trading Pickens moves the Steelers further from that goal, and it seems unlikely with their current quarterback situation. However, if they sign Rodgers and add another decent receiver, maybe they can do it. Tomlin’s done more with less before.
