In a vacuum, trading wide receiver George Pickens was an easy move.
Pickens is talented. But he’s a nutjob. Out on the ledge more often than not. Was never going to be happy playing out his lame-duck contract year. Was going to be mad about DK Metcalf getting paid. Quit on a block. Showed up late to a game. Always about to explode. Tick, tock. In three seasons he never topped 63 catches.
Mike Tomlin has a reputation for reeling in head cases, except he rarely succeeds. Tomlin didn’t succeed with Pickens.
So ditch Pickens.
The Steelers will get a third-round selection in 2026 for Pickens, plus a late-round pick upgrade in 2027. They used a second-round choice to draft him. The Steelers failed, but at least Pickens is out the door.
But why now?
In a grotesque example of mismanagement that still astounds, the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson without a Plan B during the prior offseason and played all of 2025 without a legit No. 2 wideout.
Now history is repeating itself. The Steelers’ alternate jersey should be a straitjacket.
The Steelers can pretend that Calvin Austin III is a No. 2 receiver (he’s not) or that tight end Pat Freiermuth can close that gap (he didn’t). Bummy old Robert Woods ain’t it.
Related
• Steelers trading wide receiver George Pickens to Cowboys
• What are the Steelers' options at WR2 in wake of George Pickens trade?
• Tim Benz: Our all-Steelers setlist requests for AC/DC at Acrisure Stadium Thursday night
The Steelers can sign a free-agent receiver. Mike Williams isn’t available, but fossils like Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper are. Tyler Boyd is local! Bring back Gunner Olszewski or Allen Robinson. How about Odell Beckham Jr.? Replace one troublemaker with another. Get Aaron Rodgers’ buddy, Allen Lazard, from the New York Jets.
That begs the question: Is trading Pickens a precursor to Rodgers not coming? Because then trading Pickens makes sense. You’re tanking to get a higher pick in the 2026 draft, when you select your long-term quarterback out of a talented crop at that position.
Except the Steelers don’t tank. So this is just mismanagement.
Maybe Roman Wilson steps up. Or at least gets on the field.
There’s no reason to be upset about losing Pickens. He’s Chase Claypool. He’s Martavis Bryant. The Steelers shouldn’t have drafted him in the first place.
But incompetence oozes from the whole situation. Missing on a second-round pick. Failing to control a loony. Why not trade Pickens before the draft, then select a wideout? Sign a free-agent receiver before that pool got depleted. What are the options now?
The Steelers could have taken a wideout in the fourth round instead of Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer, an edge rusher they don’t need.
The Steelers need new management. Tomlin, GM Omar Khan and owner Art Rooney II don’t know what they’re doing. The examples are piling up. The Steelers have an awful roster.
If I’m wrong, just go win a playoff game.
If the Steelers are in their usual “win-now” mode, their best bet is to sign Allen. He’s 33, but he had 70 catches last year and a career-best 108 the year before. Allen is unsigned for a reason, but getting him would at least have positive potential.