It’s rare that a team would find itself in such limbo regarding its’ biggest offensive weapon yet here we are with George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pickens is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is unquestionably the most important player on the Steelers’ offense. Unfortunately, he is also as polarizing as any player since the last days of Antonio Brown, another wide receiver. With the new league year starting on March 12th, the Steelers have some potential options with Pickens but they seem poised to do nothing as of this writing.
Play It Out
So let’s start there. There isn’t a trade, he isn’t given a new deal and he certainly isn’t cut. The Steelers head to Latrobe with Pickens simply entering the final year of his contract. Why take this route?
If Pickens plays 2025 as is, then he becomes a free agent and is able to sign anywhere in March of 2026. The reason the Steelers would do this is because his departure would most certainly bring a high compensatory pick – perhaps a coveted third rounder. The danger with this is that he could have a monster season and completely price himself right out of Pittsburgh. If he plays poorly and continues to be a pain in the ass, then so be it. You cut ties and gladly take whatever comp pick you may get.
My pollyannaish view however is that maybe… Just maybe… he matures, has a big season and wants to remain in Pittsburgh. Stranger things right?
Sign Him to a New Deal
Talent-wise, there are few receivers in the league that can match the type of things George Pickens can do. He still has a lot of work to do in terms of expanding his route tree but the guy is consistently a big play machine. Therefore, maybe the Steelers want to get ahead of this much as they did when they signed Antonio Brown when everyone seemed to believe it was Mike Wallace that would get the big contract.
General Manager Omar Khan was asked about Pickens at the Combine last week. “I had a really solid exit meeting with G.P., and I can tell you that he has a desire to be great,” Khan said Tuesday. “He has a desire to be great here. We have a desire for him to be great, and to be great here. With respect to the contract, we won’t discuss that publicly, and usually those things are addressed at a later date.” (h/t Trib-Live)
Honestly, the Steelers have little reason to pay him among the League’s elite. While many of his plays have been jaw-dropping his overall numbers aren’t even in the same atmosphere as the NFL’s top wideouts. His agent has to have relayed this to him by now or else the agent isn’t doing their job.
Trade Him
According to those I talk to, the team has no interest in doing this, but as The Godfather once alluded to, “Someone could make an offer you can’t refuse.” I highly doubt Mike Tomlin wants to see his already thin wide receiver corps trimmed any further but how much more of Pickens’ immature antics can he and the organization take? We’ve seen him at his greatest and we’ve also seen him at his worst (the home finale vs the Bengals for instance).
Would Khan take a third round pick for Pickens? It’s actually worth slightly more than a third round comp pick because those are always at the end of the round. Personally I would do it simply because I don’t believe that you win with guys who sulk, take stupid penalties and engage in shouting matches with fans during games. Anything less than a third rounder? Nope. I’ll deal with the headache.
Regardless of what Khan and the Steelers do there will be feelings on both sides. This is true of most player personnel moves but especially this one. With so much quarterback uncertainty, I couldn’t blame Pickens for wanting to be elsewhere either.
