The Pittsburgh Steelers have been dealing with George Pickens since drafting the wide receiver back in 2022. The third-year player clearly has elite-level talent, but he has struggled at times with his anger and immaturity. This can be expected from a younger player, but the fact that he hasn't shown serious amounts of improvements in either area is concerning. Pickens will become eligible for a contract extension following the 2024 season as he prepares for the last year of his rookie contract in 2025, meaning the organization will have to decide on his future soon.
Pickens has had plenty of highlights and lowlights throughout his career. He has made some of the best catches in the NFL over the last three seasons, but has also caused a scene on the sideline a few times and gotten into some fights after the whistle. This is the kind of behavior the organization likely wants to see cleaned up, along with the wide receiver staying locked in throughout an entire game. Too often Pickens can be found giving up on his route or slightly jogging on his routes if he isn't the primary read. Insider Christopher Carter had an interesting response on social media when asked about Pickens.
Wednesday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was Pickens' first game in a few weeks after missing three games with a hamstring injury. He made some good plays, but he also was a major factor in a turnover for the Steelers. Pickens was running a go route, but he gave up on his route and the play resulted in Russell Wilson throwing an interception.
Pickens wasn't the target on the play, but had he been running his go route, he would have attracted some attention from the safety. The safety was the defender who wound up picking Wilson off as he was able to cheat towards the middle of the field since Pickens gave up on the play. The interception came while the Steelers were in field goal range and had a good chance to put points on the board while already trailing 13-0.
The turnover isn't entirely Pickens' fault. This was a bad decision by Wilson, but these are the kind of intricate details the team wants to see Pickens follow through on. There can't be plays where the wide receiver isn't doing his job, or bad results come from it. It is hard to imagine the organization gives Pickens a second contract if he does not fix these issues moving forward.
Pickens will be entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2025, and he could sign an extension during the 2025 offseason. The way he has acted makes it hard to imagine Pittsburgh will give him a new deal before the expiration of his current contract. Pickens could stay with the Steelers through the 2025 season, but the organization might not want to just lose him for nothing on the open free agent market. This is a reason they might entertain trade offers for Pickens during the 2025 offseason. This would open up the future of the position for Pittsburgh, while also bringing in some likely decent draft capital.
