Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens has been the subject of trade speculation all offseason. Just the other day on March 20, Pro Football Focus analyst Bradley Locker identified the star playmaker as Pittsburgh’s “best trade asset” ahead of the NFL draft.
“The Steelers checked a big-name receiver move off their bucket list when they traded for and extended DK Metcalf,” Locker wrote. “There’s tremendous appeal in pairing him with Pickens, but the two are also very similar players, which leaves questions about the latter’s future.”
“Pickens rose to the occasion in 2024, earning a career-high 79.7 PFF receiving grade with 2.11 yards per route run,” the analyst continued. “But drop issues (12.3% drop rate) and lingering concerns about maturity overshadow his on-field production. In an offseason with few signature perimeter receiver stars available, a team might get aggressive in trading for the pending free agent.”
Despite Locker’s sound logic, long-time Steelers beat reporter and insider Mark Kaboly took a contrasting stance on the idea of a Pickens trade occurring prior to the 2025 season.
“[Trading Pickens] doesn’t make sense to me at all,” Kaboly replied candidly on March 24 after fielding mailbag questions from fans.
“If you think you can win and be a threat for the AFC North title (which they do), then you need all the weapons you can muster up,” Kaboly reasoned. “Metcalf, Pickens, and [Pat] Freiermuth aren’t a bad core to improve the play-making that [general manager Omar] Khan said last month this team needed.”
The reporter did add that “if Pickens requests a trade, [the Steelers] have no choice but to oblige.” However, there has been no indication that the 24-year-old wideout will do so.
Steelers’ QB Decision Could Impact George Pickens Trade, Says Reporter
The Athletic’s Steelers correspondent Mike DeFabo recently explained how the decision to keep or trade Pickens could “hinge on” the starting quarterback.
“As soon as the Steelers acquired Metcalf, the next logical question was: What does this mean for George Pickens?” DeFabo wrote within an article on March 20.
“Sure, the idea of Pickens and Metcalf teaming up on the same offense is exciting,” he acknowledged. “But think bigger picture. If the Steelers have already committed huge money to one receiver, it’s unlikely they would pay a second in a booming market at that position, especially one who coach Mike Tomlin said needs to ‘grow up’ just a few months ago.”
“With Pickens set to enter the final year of his rookie deal, his time in Pittsburgh could be running out,” DeFabo added. Noting: “Now, there are two ways to approach this. If the Steelers land [Aaron] Rodgers (or maybe even Russell Wilson), perhaps GM Omar Khan would be willing to push his chips into the middle of the table and go for it all in 2025, keeping Pickens on the roster.”
If they don’t, DeFabo argued that they’d most likely be “wasting” Pickens’ final year of value with a rookie or a starting quarterback like Mason Rudolph.
“If they don’t land a QB capable of unlocking both Metcalf and Pickens, the Steelers would be better served trading Pickens when his value is the highest ahead of the draft,” the reporter concluded.
An Aaron Rodgers Signing Supports Steelers Keeping WR George Pickens
Although DeFabo makes a good point about Rudolph or a potential rookie, even he admitted that a Rodgers acquisition would pair best with one season of both Pickens and Metcalf. And as of March 24, Rodgers appears to be the most likely Steelers starter in 2025.
If Kaboly and DeFabo’s theories are correct, this all yields one outcome: Pittsburgh will hold onto Pickens for another year, at least.
This could all still change, of course, let’s say Rodgers backs out and retires — or signs elsewhere. But that feels less and less likely by the day.
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