George Pickens is likely not going anywhere now, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The Pittsburgh Steelers are unlikely to trade the emerging star wide receiver with what they have currently and what they could get this offseason.
The main target? Aaron Rodgers of course! Pickens, paired alongside DK Metcalf, looks like a nice combination for the veteran quarterback.
Regardless of who’s quarterback, considering the Steelers don’t have a clear option yet, they’ll need Pickens alongside Metcalf to put a little fear into defenses. But Pickens is certainly playing for a big contract with the Steelers or perhaps elsewhere.
“So coming out of the draft, there was a little bit of smoke, a little bit of trade chatter about them potentially moving Pickens, but right now, I’m told that they’re going to go forward with the offseason program,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “And Pickens wants to be with the Steelers. He’s in a contract year, he’s most likely not getting a new deal with that team, that money with DK Metcalf, he feels the loyalty to Mike Tomlin, so he wants to make it work. And the Steelers are not in the business of shipping out good receivers right now, because they’re trying to woo one Aaron Rodgers.
“So we know the Steelers remain optimistic. From what I’m hearing, nothing has really changed on that front. But there’s no hard update about him signing with the team or anything imminent right now, but at least they should have Pickens in the fold, DK Metcalf etc., for Rodgers when or if he does sign.”
Pickens’ tenure in Pittsburgh has been turbulent at times. Head coach Mike Tomlin said he needed to “grow up” after he was flagged for two unsportsmanlike penalties during the Week 13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals this past season.
“He’s just got to grow up, man,” Tomlin said in December. “It’s an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He got a target on his back because he’s George. He understands that. But he’s got to grow up. He’s got to grow up in a hurry.”
At February’s NFL Scouting Combine, Steelers general manager Omar Khan declined to discuss specifics of Pickens’ next contract. However, he said the exit meeting after the 2024 season was a positive one.
“I had a really solid exit meeting with GP, and I can tell you that he has a desire to be great,” Khan said. “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.”
