I’ll admit, it was a bit shocking to wake up to a George Pickens trade. While there was some smoke surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers dealing the talented but immature wide receiver, it seemed like the 2025 NFL Draft would have been the best time to get a deal done. And if they were planning on trading Pickens, they sure didn’t do anything to help bolster the WR group during the draft. With Aaron Rodgers potentially signing with the Steelers, wouldn’t they want to maximize this one-year window? And does the Pickens deal mean they are less confident about Rodgers’ forthcoming decision?
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo the two ideas aren’t connected.
“I think this decision to trade George Pickens is totally separate from what happens with Aaron Rodgers,” Fittipaldo said Wednesday via 93.7 The Fan’s Morning Show. “But if you do want to project out and think about how would Aaron Rodgers mesh with somebody like George Pickens, I don’t think it would be good. I can’t sit here and name you a quarterback who would mesh well with a receiver who doesn’t run his routes properly, who doesn’t attend meetings [and] is late.”
Rodgers has never been known as a locker room issue despite how he sometimes is portrayed, but he did have a public issue with Mike Williams last year for failing to run the red line on one of his routes. It’s very possible that Pickens and Rodgers wouldn’t have meshed well for some of the reasons Fittipaldo listed.
Reports indicate that the Steelers have been in constant contact with Rodgers throughout the offseason. It’s very possible that he knew this was coming for a while. If this decision to trade Pickens is unrelated to Rodgers, then maybe he was informed of this possibility along the way.
If there was any uncertainty between the Steelers and Rodgers, the timing of this trade doesn’t make sense since it could potentially rock the boat or dissuade Rodgers from signing with them. Reading between the lines, it feels like the Rodgers deal is either imminent or recently fell apart. And it was just a couple weeks ago that Steelers owner Art Rooney II expressed confidence in Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh, so I have to think it’s the former.
From an outsider’s perspective, the Steelers had a chance to get the best passer they’ve had since pre-injury Ben Roethlisberger and a chance to have their best receiving corps since at least 2017. Blowing that up for a third-round pick next year seems odd, but this was the best return they were going to get for Pickens, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
The idea of a 2027 comp pick was never a sure thing with the possibility for offsetting signings. And 2026 draft capital is worth more than 2027 draft capital, especially to the Steelers, who are loading up on picks for next year.
Rodgers’ decision should be coming one way or the other before OTAs begin at the end of the month.
