Steelers Get Strong Return For George Pickens From Panthers In Proposed Trade

The Pittsburgh Steelers were very eager and quick to send off wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers in the early stages of the 2024 offseason. Johnson's consistent locker room antics and concerning lack of effort on the football field made the choice quite easy for the Steelers' front office, but the idea of trading away a generational talent such as George Pickens is a much more difficult decision to make. However, the Steelers have been encouraged to consider sending off Pickens to the same place they sent Johnson in 2024. 

Pickens will be entering his fourth season since being drafted by the Steelers in 2022. To this point, Pickens has caught 293 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns. Pickens' level of talent became visibly evident the moment he stepped onto the field with the Steelers as a rookie, even when he was catching passes from Kenny Pickett and the other notable backup quarterbacks. 

Unfortunately, Pickens' maturity and professionalism isn't as clean as most would like, which leaves the door open for a possible separation between he and the franchise before he prepares for a new contract. 

According to the NFL Scouting Department from Bleacher Report, Pickens is easily one of Pittsburgh's top trade assets. In an article where each team is given a hypothetical trade, the Panthers were selected to trade for Pickens. 

The offer suggests that the Panthers send a 2025 second-round draft pick and A'Shawn Robinson for Pickens and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Robinson, a 29 year old defensive lineman who has spent his entire career in the NFC, totaled a career-high of five and a half sacks in 2024. 

"The top option would be George Pickens. He'll only be 24 years old next season and he's already one of the best deep threats in the league," from the writers at Bleacher Report. "Many teams would like to add someone with his ability to go up and get 50-50 balls. However, his talent comes with some negative incidences that could create frustration within an organization. The Steelers already have a need at receiver so there's a real downside to trading Pickens, but it's still a possibility that could be explored."

Defensive line is easily going to be one of the Steelers' top priorities in the upcoming offseason. The Steelers don't have a ton of help behind Cameron Heyward, who had a remarkable 2024 season. Trading for a proven defensive lineman makes a ton of sense for Pittsburgh, but sending off Pickens in return is a questionable decision. 

A Pickens for Robinson package would largely resemble the trade Pittsburgh pulled off when they sent Johnson away. The trade included a pick swap between Pittsburgh and Carolina, as well as the Steelers receiving cornerback Donte Jackson in return for Johnson. 

That trade initially seemed like a good move by the front office as Jackson led the team in interceptions for the season. Despite his ability to create turnovers, Jackson dealt with a number of injuries as the season went on, and it looked to have affected his performance on the field. 

It's not likely that the Steelers will trade Pickens in the upcoming offseason, considering he remains as the only proven receiver on the roster. The depth behind Pickens on Pittsburgh's roster isn't spectacular, and trading away your number one receiver would be a huge gamble.  

Steelers Should Look To Add Help For Pickens Instead Of Preparing To Trade Him

With Russell Wilson and Pickens' connection leading the offense, the Steelers, at one point, held a strong 10-3 record and high postseason aspirations. Those aspirations would suddenly disappear as the team finished the regular season on four straight losses, but the Steelers offense was working for a while. 

During that time, Pickens was one of the hottest receivers in the NFL and began to be a huge problem for opposing teams. With that in consideration, the Steelers absolutely need to continue working with Pickens, and the offense as a whole, in an attempt to find the correct formula. 

What do you think about the trade including Pickens from Bleacher Report? Should the Steelers have any interest in dealing Pickens away? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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