Steelers Now
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk questions if the Pittsburgh Steelers should give George Pickens a new contract. He thinks it could have negative effect if a massive payday is granted this offseason or next.
“If you make him prove himself this year and then you pay him, does he revert? Does he act the way he should for one year, get the contract? Florio pondered. “Because once you get that contract, you know the way the contract’s gonna be structured, you have a certain amount of bulletproof-ness to you. If you give him money, is he gonna change? And at what point do you come to the conclusion that this is just who he is?”
Steelers president Art Rooney II revealed last Monday 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.”
Rooney believes character issues with wide receivers is a common theme across the league. It’s not just a problem in Pittsburgh.
“I think every team seems to have one or two guys in that room that you have to manage correctly,” Rooney said. “I still think George has enough talent that we’ve got to try to work and see if we can get him to reach and fulfill the talent that he really has. Who knows if we can get there. We’ll see. When you have guys that are as talented as some of the guys you’re probably thinking of, you try to work with them and have help them help you be successful.”
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.”
Aaron Becker provided reporting for this story.
