The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ recent moves may have an impact on wide receiver George Pickens.
Recently, the Steelers traded fellow wide out Diontae Johnson, who had been giving Pittsburgh some headaches due to his attitude and was entering the final year of his deal.
They then dealt quarterback Kenny Pickett, who was unhappy with the fact that the Steelers signed Russell Wilson to start over him.
Essentially, Pittsburgh addressed two players who could have caused locker-room issues next season by jettisoning them from the team entirely, and Ray Fittipaldo of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says that Pickens could be next if he doesn’t straighten up.
During a fan chat this week, Fittipaldo was asked if the Steelers would move Pickens if he requested a trade, but he spun it the other way.
“Sure there is. But Pickens is the one who is on notice, not the Steelers,” Fittipaldo said. “If he wants to play with the team in the long term, he’s going to have [to] improve his behavior.”
Pickens is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played every game and hauled in 63 receptions for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. He led the NFL by averaging 18.1 yards per catch.
Those are impressive numbers.
However, Pickens gave Mike Tomlin and Co. fits with his antics this past season, leading to Tomlin eventually publicly chiding Pickens for his behavior.
To Pickens’ credit, his attitude improved as the season progressed, and he played a major role in helping the Steelers reach the playoffs.
The 23-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Georgia, was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
If George Pickens wants to stick around with the Steelers long term, he should probably make sure that the guy we saw in the latter stages of 2023 is the one Tomlin sees for all of 2024 and beyond.
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