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14 hours ago
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Thanks to his volatile behavior and his entering the final year of his rookie contract, the future of wide receiver George Pickens with the Pittsburgh Steelers is up in the air.
While that is still certainly the case beyond this season, it appears that Pickens isn't going anywhere before the start of the 2025 season.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Pickens did come close to requesting a trade from the Steelers but has since decided he wants to remain in Pittsburgh. Fowler noted Pickens' affinity for head coach Mike Tomlin, also.
"I was told Pickens, in the end, wants to be in Pittsburgh — he sort of flirted with a trade request, but in the end, he loves Mike Tomlin and wants to be a part of things," Fowler said on NFL Live.
Well, this should put the Pickens trade rumors to bed for now.
We say "for now" because it's possible Pittsburgh will unload him at the deadline if the team struggles in 2025, something that's possible if Aaron Rodgers doesn't sign with the Steelers and opts to retire instead.
If Pickens wants any hope of staying in Pittsburgh for the long haul or getting a big, long-term deal from another team in 2026, he's got to be on his best behavior.
We know the talent is certainly there, but no team is going to trust him with a huge contract if he continues to be a problem like he has been.
Pickens' frustrations with the Steelers over the years are understandable, as he's had a who's who of mediocre-to-bad quarterbacks throwing him the football.
But he's also got an opportunity to catch passes from Rodgers in 2025, and no matter your opinion of the polarizing future Hall of Famer, he'll be the best quarterback Pickens has ever played with, which could lead to a break out.
At the end of the day, if the Steelers planned on competing in 2025, keeping the talented but volatile wide receiver was always the right play.
The DK Metcalf addition was excellent, but lest we forget, the Steelers were on a year-long mission to add an upgrade across from Pickens before the trade.
Trading Pickens would have left the Steelers short at wide receiver once again, and it would have made them a less attractive destination for Rodgers, who the team desperately needs if it wants to make something of 2025.
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