Mike Tomlin defended George Pickens every step of the way. Publicly, he embraced the challenge of helping Pickens grow and mature, a young kid from Hoover, Alabama with sky-high potential. Ultimately, the decision to trade Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys didn’t come from ownership. It came from Tomlin himself.
Laying out the catalysts for the move in a Twitter/X article, Steelers’ beat writer Mark Kaboly is confident in naming Tomlin the driver of the bus that sent Pickens out of town.
“Make no mistake about it, Tomlin – who has gone out of his way in the past to defend Pickens — is the one who decided that the Pickens rehabilitation project needed to end a year early.
“The ultimate decision had very little to do with general manager Omar Khan (although he signed off on it, too) and, of course, it was OK’d by team owner Art Rooney II.”
It’s consistent with what Kaboly reported early this morning, noting Pickens did not ask for a trade. Post-draft, it appeared the Steelers had passed on the idea of dealing Pickens, who preferred to stay in Pittsburgh and play out the final year of his rookie deal.
Ultimately, it seems years of incidents, antics, and general frustration with Pickens compelled Tomlin to make a move. Like the Steelers shipping out Diontae Johnson for similar reasons, Pickens’ talent wasn’t enough to keep him on the roster. Realizing Pickens wouldn’t be with the team beyond 2025, Tomlin dictated the terms of when Pickens would exit. Now, not later.
Tomlin driving decisions isn’t a shock. In a vacuum, he has plenty of control over the roster. Longest-tenured NFL coaches on $50 million deals get that sort of freedom. But it would’ve been logical to speculate Art Rooney II turned up the heat for Pickens to be moved, feeling embarrassed for how Pickens could act on the field. Not so, according to Kaboly. It was Tomlin turning the screws, an acknowledgement more interesting because of his continued public defense of Pickens.
Debatable as the decision is to trade Pickens, especially in May instead of March, Tomlin’s next mission is filling his role. Late in the offseason process, that may not come from one source. A combination of internal options (Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin III) and outside sources (Allen Lazard, Romeo Doubs, or Gabe Davis) could bridge the gap.
If Tomlin wants to truly stop going down this path, the Steelers’ philosophy of drafting receivers will change. The team may dislike its streak of malcontent receivers, but it has selected a string of them. When it comes time to likely draft the position in 2026, Tomlin will have to think differently about the prospect he chooses.
