The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason has not been a boring one. Before free agency started, they traded for DK Metcalf. Now, they’ve involved in another wide receiver trade, but this time sending George Pickens away. It’s a slightly surprising move, if only because the timing of it seems strange. Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum has a lot of questions after this move.
“I’m using the term inconsistent timeline,” Tannenbaum said Wednesday on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “Because when you trade for DK Metcalf, which I love, one of the young, emerging stars at the receiver position, and pay him $30 million a year and give up a second-round pick, that feels like an all-in move. And you have an aging defense. Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, amongst others, that’s an aging defense.
“Then you think, ‘If we get Aaron Rodgers on a one-year deal, we’ll run it back.’ But now, when you look at their skill players beyond DK Metcalf, you have more questions than answers. Fundamentally, who’s your starting quarterback? Is it really gonna be Mason Rudolph? That feels like a little bit more of a rebuild. If you’re rebuilding, why are you going and getting Metcalf?”
Trading for Metcalf indeed felt like a move to make the Steelers better right now. The team also decided not to spend a high draft pick on a quarterback this year, still all-in on pursuing Rodgers. Instead, the Steelers tried to bolster the rest of their roster.
Pittsburgh seems focused on trying to at least be a playoff team this year, which makes this trade confusing. Last year, receiver was a huge weakness for the Steelers, mostly because they didn’t have an adequate partner for Pickens. The Metcalf trade fixed that, but now, the Steelers are in that same situation again. Receiver is a weakness, with Metcalf in Pickens’ place.
If the Steelers were going to trade Pickens, it felt like moving him during this year’s draft would’ve been the best course of action. They didn’t get a good enough offer, though, so that didn’t happen. However, they could’ve still held onto him for some of the season and then reevaluated a potential deal near the trade deadline.
With Pickens going into the last year of his deal, it seemed like his time in Pittsburgh was drawing to a close, especially after the Metcalf trade. While this move feels slightly confusing right now, the Steelers still have time to shore up the wide receiver position. Perhaps they’ll make another trade to fill the void left by Pickens. There are a few decent free agents remaining, too. Maybe time will make this trade look better.
