After three years of largely defending young wide receiver George Pickens to the media, often stating that he either didn’t know or didn’t see incidents and chalking things up to Pickens being young and maturing, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has seemingly quickly turned the page on the receiver following the trade of Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday for draft picks.
During rookie minicamp on Saturday from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, Tomlin said he won’t add any more color to the Pickens trade discussion. He said his thoughts align with GM Omar Khan’s, adding that it was best for both parties to move on.
“You know, I’m not going to add any color to it other than what Omar told you guys yesterday,” Tomlin said to reporters Saturday, according to video via the Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko on X. “We thought it was best and timely for all parties involved.
“Really, I’m just focused on the opportunity that it is this weekend for the rookies.”
Khan spoke to reporters Friday and stated that he feels the wide receiver room is in a good spot, which helped the Steelers come to the conclusion to trade Pickens after the draft. The timing was a surprise, but ultimately, the move of Pickens to the Cowboys via trade wasn’t, as the Steelers weren’t going to extend Pickens after trading for wide receiver DK Metcalf this offseason and giving him a big extension.
Khan added that things moved rather quickly after the draft and stated that this was best for everyone in this situation, with Pickens needing a new deal.
For Tomlin, there’s nothing more to add. He’s said his peace about Pickens time and time again. Despite largely defending him and downplaying things, Tomlin did have pointed comments last season after the Week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on the road, stating Pickens needed to grow up after he had multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in the game that hindered the Steelers’ offense.
That message seemingly never got through to Pickens, who had some attitude issues late in the season after returning from a hamstring injury, reportedly showed up late to the Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and was also reportedly showing up to meetings and practices late throughout the season.
So, the Steelers moved on.
Tomlin is moving on, too, putting his focus on the opportunity that the rookies, young players, and some veteran tryouts have this weekend with the franchise as 45 players hit the field for work in an effort to try and catch the eye of some evaluators and earn a roster spot.
