Polarizing Steelers WR George Pickens' Fate Will Be Decided This Offseason To Avoid "A Distraction Beyond Distractions"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been on a wild ride with George Pickens since drafting him in the second round in 2022. His draft profile came with concerns about his maturity, which, coupled with an ACL injury, caused his stock to drop. Head Coach Mike Tomlin is known to have a knack for dealing with difficult wide receivers. After all, he contained Antonio Brown for years like no other coach could. After Pickens' antics during the win over the Cincinnati Bengals, fans wonder if the team should even extend his contract. One insider says the decision will be made sooner than many think.

Pickens is the Steelers' top receiver, taking most of the receptions this season. However, with the good comes some bad. He has shown flashes of immaturity and negative behavior. Against the Bengals, he had two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that cost the team 30 yards. Fortunately, they did not cost the Steelers the game, but Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show worries they could. He told the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show that he thinks Pickens' behavior will lead to the team deciding what to do with him this offseason instead of waiting, like with Najee Harris. 

"This decision about his future has to be made in the offseason," said Kaboly. "You'll know. You cannot bring him back next year in a lame duck guy. You can't. He would be a distraction beyond distractions. George cannot have another catch this year and struggle next year and still get paid. If they move him in the offseason, obviously, they weren't going to sign him. If they keep him on the roster, I think they're gonna extend him."

Kaboly said Tomlin, Russell Wilson, and Broderick Jones tried to get Pickens back on track during that game. He said they surely told him that this behavior couldn't continue. He said the best hope is for Pickens to come around through mentoring and guidance. 

According to Kaboly, the problem is that Pickens doesn't care about public scrutiny. He does care about stats, wins, and his team. He won't care about fines from the NFL, the team, or threats from owner Art Rooney II. 

"He's needed to grow up for three seasons now," Kaboly said frankly. "The thing about George is he was doing a good job for the first part of the year. He was doing what he needed to do. I think it helped that he was able to get a lot of balls, a lot of catches, a lot of yards. Tomlin knows that it's a different situation now getting into December, into January, where one of these calls could cost you your game, could cost you your season."

Pickens told the media that the officials misunderstood his one gesture. While he said he never intended to hurt his team, he didn't exactly express remorse or regret over backing the offense up. 

Fortunately, Wilson was on fire against the Bengals, a good sign for the Steelers heading into the most difficult stretch of the season. 

Steelers' Situation With Najee Harris Is Different

Kaboly was asked if the situation with Harris is somehow different. The team said they did not extend him because they wanted to wait to see how he performed in Arthur Smith's offense. 

Dorin Dickerson said, in his opinion, it is different with running backs. The market doesn't demand the same kind of money to be paid to them. The biggest running back contract is Christian McCaffery's, at an average of $19 million a year, while the biggest receiver contract is Justin Jefferson's, at an average of $35 million a year. 

Therefore, Harris needs to prove himself this season so that another team will pick him up. Pickens will attract attention because of his freakish abilities. Teams have proven they will overlook some behavior if there is production. 

What do you think should happen with Pickens? Click to comment below. 

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