The New England Patriots have so far spent most of the NFL’s free agency period focusing on defense. Signings such as Milton Williams and Harold Landry II are designed to fortify the Patriots’ pass rush which managed just 28 sacks all season in 2024, while their acquisition of Robert Spillane bolsters the New England ability to stop opponents’ running game. The Patriots allowed the third-most rushing yards (1,972) in the NFL last season.
When it came to getting some help for second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who will be playing his first full season after starting just 12 games in 2024, the Patriots took their time, finally inking free agent wide receiver Stephon Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler, to a three-year, $69 million deal last week.
But with a receiving corps that ranked near the bottom of the NFL with just 2,995 yards, even the addition of Diggs will not be enough to give Maye the help he needs to realize the potential the Patriots expected when they picked the former North Carolina Tar Heel with the No. 3 overall pick last year.
Patriots Give Up Day One Pick in New Trade Pitch
While the name most often associated with the Patriots has been San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who must be unloaded by the ‘Niners by Tuesday to avoid paying him a $22.2 million roster bonus. But there is another receiver who may be available in trade, who led the NFL in yards per reception just two years ago, but who comes with some baggage, namely, a reputation as a discipline problem.
But with new head coach Mike Vrabel and his emphasis on team culture and accountability, New England may be willing to take a risk on fourth-year pass catcher George Pickens, the Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 second-round draft pick, 52nd overall, out of Georgia.
According to a trade pitch outlined on Saturday by Wrightway Sports Network, the Steelers could offer Pickens to the receiver-hungry Patriots in exchange for a second-round draft pick in next month’s 2025 NFL Draft.
The Patriots own the 38th overall pick, which is the team’s only selection in the second round. The Steelers, on the other hand, have no selections in Round Two, meaning that they pick 21st overall on Day One, and then have nothing until pick No. 83 on Day Two.
Pittsburgh sent its second round pick, 52nd overall, to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month in exchange for wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, a move that certainly contributes to making Pickens a trade candidate for the Steelers.
Patriots Add Genuine Deep Threat For Maye
On New England’s side, they would be getting a genuine deep threat in Pickens, who averages 16.3 yards per reception over his three-year career. But they would also be taking on a challenging personality. Pickens public troubles began when he was still at Georgia, when he got into an end-zone fistfight with Georgia Tech cornerback Tre Swilling that resulted in a suspension for Pickens.
After a mostly non-controversial rookie year in 2022, Pickens began adding a list of fines and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to his dubious resumé in 2023. Pickens was reportedly hit with more than $200,000 in fines that season â not an insubstantial sum for a player on a four-year, $6.7 million contract.
But with Vrabel at the helm, and with support from Maye, the Patriots hope would be that Pickens would buy in to the new version of the “Patriot Way.”
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