On the eve of the 2025 NFL draft, rumors are flying and one of the latest ones pertains to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, George Pickens.
According to FOX Sports' Jordan Schultz, Pickens is "one intriguing trade name to watch" and the Steelers have both made and received calls about the former second-round pick, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
"George Pickens is one intriguing trade name to watch. Pittsburgh has taken and made calls on the talented WR, who's now extension-eligible. After paying Metcalf, league sources are skeptical the Steelers will pay two receivers," Schultz reported.
Schultz also included a comment from an unnamed AFC general manager who thinks that Pickens is "more available than people think," and he lists the Green Bay Packers as a team that's interested. The unnamed exec thinks the Steelers simply won't want to pay Pickens after shelling out a big contract to DK Metcalf.
"It's just not in their DNA to spend that much on two wideouts," the AFC GM told the FOX Sports insider. "Pickens is more available than people think. Green Bay's been serious, and they're not the only ones."
It's easy to see why the Steelers would want to trade Pickens. On top of not wanting to pay big money to another receiver, the Steelers might be hesitant to give Pickens an extension even if they didn't pay Metcalf, as the Georgia product is volatile, at best, and will be hard to trust with a long-term extension.
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The problem with this scenario is that the Steelers already need more depth at wide receiver, so trading Pickens would put Pittsburgh in a bad spot and essentially back in the same boat they climbed out of upon acquiring Metcalf.
If the Steelers do trade Pickens, we'd expect them to bring in a veteran in free agency, and a rookie via the 2025 NFL draft.
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