Steelers' George Pickens Reportedly Upset With Kenny Pickett More Than Anything Else

The Pittsburgh Steelers locker room has always had some sort of drama since Head Coach Mike Tomlin took the reins in 2007. Despite two Super Bowl appearances and one victory, there have often been characters in the building that drum up a conversation off the field. It was believed that the headaches were finally gone after General Manager Omar Khan traded Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears in 2022, but the guy that took his snaps and job away isn't proving to be a team player a year later. Wide receiver, George Pickens has consistently shown frustration on the field despite the team being victorious.

The frustration for Pickens is mounting, especially since wideout, Diontae Johnson returned from a stint on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury. Johnson has secured 20 catches for 254 yards and a touchdown since Week 7 while Pickens has only hauled in eight passes for 128 yards and a score in the same timeframe. The last two contests have been especially upsetting for him, as he has only three receptions for 21 yards.

Mark Kaboly, a Steelers insider for The Athletic, joined Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller on their popular radio show, The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller, and wasn't sold on the idea of Pickens being upset with Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada. Kaboly was asked who he thinks that Pickens is more mad at, and as it turns out, there might be some internal problems going on when it comes to quarterback, Kenny Pickett and Pickens.

"I would say probably Kenny. I mean the bottom line is if you don't get open quickly, you're not going to go to that guy, right?"

Pickens may be getting double-teamed, but at the end of the day, he is creating enough separation. The game plan for opposing teams seems to be to contain Pickens over Johnson, and who would complain in the locker room of that being the case if Johnson is going to continue to put up the numbers that he has?

Kaboly continued talking about the internal issues that may be going on when it comes to Pickens. Defenses are focusing on him more than he is used to and it's not Canada's fault that he doesn't always get the ball. The only possible explanation, Kaboly insinuated, is that the second-year wide receiver is upset at Pickett and not the offensive play-caller.

"He's getting a lot of that roll coverage to his side still because people have that much respect for him and with Kenny, you're pre-snap reading this and you're looking real quick to him, you don't have time to come back and look for him so he has to be the one to be open instantly. He has to be open right away. You can't blame the coordinator. It's just where the ball dictates."

Steelers fans have had their fair share of divas throughout the years. The most notable, especially recently, is Antonio Brown. Kaboly even brought the disgruntled former player up when discussing Pickens. Tomlin has been known to contain internal personalities quite well, but it appears that he isn't connecting with Pickens the right way. The pass catcher's recent Instagram posts and activity are not necessarily a good look for the team.

Steelers Fans Shouldn't Worry About Pickens Just Yet

Kaboly went on to tell Fillipponi and Mueller that fans worrying about Pickens being a problem off the field would be a bit premature. It's a fair assumption given the fact that Brown fell off the deep end after he was a solidified top receiver in the league. Pickens is still maturing, but Tomlin needs to face this kind of behavior head on before it spirals out of control. Pickens has too much talent to be wasted because of an unwelcome ego.

Do you think that the Steelers already have an attitude issue with Pickens? Let us know in the comments below!

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