Star Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens has been controversial since he entered the NFL. So when Pickens approached Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce during their postgame Netflix interview on Christmas Day, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio didn’t give Pickens the benefit of the doubt.
Florio argued that during the brief postgame handshake, Pickens told Mahomes that he wanted to leave the Steelers for the Chiefs.
“My thought was he’s saying, ‘Come get me.’ I feel like Pickens has been at that point of, ‘I’ve had enough here’ for a while now. It flashes from time to time. He has visions of what he could do in an offense with a higher end passing game, an offense that throws the ball more than the Steelers do,” Florio said on Pro Football Talk. “And they’ve had a hard time. Think of all the guys who have been problematic at the receiver position that Mike Tomlin has kept it under wraps until either the very end or after they’re gone.
“With Pickens, it’s been fairly constant the past couple seasons. But he’s so good that you keep finding a way to try to get the most out of him.”
Florio added that a lot could contribute, including who plays quarterback, to whether Pickens is back with the Steelers in 2025. Florio continued, though, that the Steelers-Pickens relationship may be nearing an end.
“There’s just a lot of factors that come into that. But I’m starting to think that, who knows, who knows? Maybe it’s reaching the end of the road for the Steelers and George Pickens.”
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Is WR George Pickens Growing Frustrated With Steelers?
Pickens is in his third NFL seasons, but he continues to be one of the most immature receivers in the league. Within the last several weeks, he committed costly personal foul penalties against the Cincinnati Bengals and engaged in a post-game fight with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II.
Against the Chiefs, Pickens had a hard time hiding his emotions when the Steelers committed costly mistakes on offense.
Pickens caught an 18-yard reception to put the Steelers in prime scoring position in the fourth quarter. But an offensive offsides penalty negated the reception. That drive continued to move backwards, as on the next two plays, the Chiefs deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage, and the Steelers committed a false start penalty.
Following the drive, Pickens ripped off his helmet and screamed along the Steelers sideline.
As has been the case often with Pickens, his intentions appear to be in the right place. But he often doesn’t channel his emotions in the right way.
Could Potential Steelers-Pickens Divorce Be Mutual?
Undeniably, Pickens has talent. He leads the Steelers with 58 receptions and 900 receiving yards this season.
He’s averaged at least 15.4 yards per catch in all three of his NFL seasons. Maybe he can produce even more with a pass-first NFL offense.
But while he’s been extremely productive and efficient, that doesn’t mean Pickens hasn’t worn out his welcome in Pittsburgh.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s the other way around too, where the other, the team and Mike Tomlin is like, ‘Oh, the hell with it. I’ve had enough. Bon voyage,’” Chris Simms said in response to Florio. “He’s a little exhausting. He’s a little me, me, me.
“It’s constant with him.”
Simms pointed to a first-half interception from Russell Wilson as an example. Simms argued Pickens was supposed to attack down the sideline to pull the safety away from the middle of the field.
Instead, Pickens pulled up looking for the ball. That safety stayed in the middle of the end zone and intercepted Wilson’s pass.
But if the Steelers move on from Pickens, they will make their biggest offensive weakness much worse. Calvin Austin III is Pittsburgh’s only other wideout with at least 275 receiving yards this season.
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