Steelers Now
INDIANAPOLIS — Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan revealed at the NFL Combine that he had a good exit meeting with wide receiver George Pickens and expects great things from him moving forward.
Pickens is a highly talented player but he’s also very unpredictable. Pickens, who is heading into a contract year in 2025, has showcased countless acts of immaturity in his first three years in Pittsburgh. That’s why there’s been speculation that he could be on the trade block, but the Steelers’ receiver corps is already extremely thin, so that could be a risky proposition.
“I had a really solid exit meeting with GP, and I can tell you that he has a desire to be great,” Khan said. “And he has a desire to be great here. We have a desire for him to be great and to be great here. With respect of the contract, we will not express that publicly. Usually those things are addressed at a later date.”
Khan revealed that wide receiver may be the Steelers’ most important position to address in free agency, outside of quarterback.
“It’s obviously a priority,” Khan said. “I’m not going to run from that. It’s just the reality. We have some guys that are free agents who weren’t good enough at that position. So we’ll look at everything.”
Steelers president Art Rooney II revealed during his season-ending press conference that they haven’t had discussions about extending Pickens’ contract yet. Pickens is heading into the final year on his rookie deal, but the first three years have been tumultuous due to a series of outbursts and immature behavior from the Georgia product.
The 23-year-old has been fined on many occasions and a recent report revealed he arrived late to the Steelers Christmas day game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rooney believes there’s certainly room for growth with Pickens..
“Look, George is a very talented player, who has room to grow,” Rooney said. “We will would like to see him grow, and hopefully he realizes the potential that he has. But, there’s definitely room for growth there.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin admitted during his season-ending press conference that extending Pickens is far from a priority right now.
“We haven’t had any conversations about pecking orders or priorities, regarding any individuals contractually,” Tomlin said. “We’re not there yet and I don’t know that that’s going to transpire this week. We’re just still assessing what transpired in 2024. Those are more 2025 things.”
The Steelers have given Pickens more than enough time to mature, but it feels as though he has taken more steps backwards than towards that goal. Tomlin also mentioned that there’s room for growth for Pickens.
“There’s certainly, obviously, more room for growth there,” Tomlin said. “I think he covered some ground in 2024, but there’s certainly a heck of a lot more ground to be covered. We’ll see where it leads us.”
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Indianapolis.
