Steelers' George Pickens Could Learn 1 Critical Trait From New Teammate

The Pittsburgh Steelers' situation with wide receiver George Pickens has been very rocky. His insane talent has only been held back by his frequent outbursts. There is some debate among Steeler Nation on how much he has matured since being drafted by Pittsburgh, but there is still plenty of room for growth. There have been plenty of rumblings about both parties wanting to move on, but for now, it seems like they will try to work things out at least until the 2025 trade deadline, but the most likely scenario is the Steelers moving on eventually. 

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette still believes that Pickens could earn a nice contract extension in Pittsburgh, however. He explained how one of its latest acquisitions could help the disgruntled receiver mature.

"The Steelers’ acquisition of DK Metcalf should help from a schematic standpoint, but I’m also intrigued by its psychological impact," said Mackey. "Metcalf has been the emotional-outburst guy, the petulant receiver, the guy who has had to channel his intensity, and there’s probably a great deal he could share with Pickens."

DK Metcalf has had his fair share of emotional outbursts during his time with the Seattle Seahawks. However, he was able to control them enough to earn a second contract with them. Even after he was traded away, he received a massive extension for his third deal of his NFL career. His ability to mellow out while still using his freak-athlete abilities have led to him being one of the more successful wideouts in the NFL. 

What would be a better way to learn how to control your emotions and channel them properly than to learn from a receiver that was in his shoes before? Pickens is still young and can learn a lot about how to be a professional. Metcalf has been there and done that. This could potentially be a match made in heaven for the 24-year-old wideout. 

Pickens' emotions are the only thing keeping him from receiving a contract worth over $30 million per year, whether that's in Pittsburgh or anywhere else. Even if the Steelers don't want to invest that much money in their receiving core, there would be teams lining up to give him massive offers to play for them and embarrass opposing defensive backs on a regular basis like he does now. 

What If The Steelers And Metcalf Can't Get Pickens Under Control?

Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has had his fair share of extremely talented players with strong personalities over the years. However, that doesn't mean that he’s willing to reward players like that with a second contract. Pickens will need to continue to show growth and maturity if he wants to remain in Pittsburgh beyond the 2025 season.

This is not his first rodeo with a problematic wide receiver specifically. The only reason he tolerated Antonio Brown was because he was undoubtedly the greatest wideout of his generation. He may have eventually become the greatest of all time had he not been a generational nuisance as well, which eventually led to him running himself out of town and out of the league on two separate occasions. 

There are plenty of receivers that fit this bill, like Martavis Bryant and Chase Claypool. Ironically, the Steelers got more out of them from trading them away than they received on the field. Neither of them thrived away from Tomlin, and their NFL careers ended quickly after departing Pittsburgh. Claypool was similar to Pickens: big frame, freak athlete, jump-ball player, but he was cut less than a year after the Steelers traded him away, and he is out of the league now entirely.