George Pickens’ eye-opening comment raises doubt about Steelers future

George Pickens' roller coaster season with the Steelers took its final turn Saturday. At the time, the star wide receiver responded to a question about his belief in the offense moving forward after the wild-card loss with a simple, “No.”

The exchange occurred after Pickens, who caught five passes for 87 yards and a touchdown during Pittsburgh's 28-14 loss to the Ravens, was involved in a three-year and 23-year career with the team. It started when he was asked if he saw any growth offensively on the team. The old man replied, “Oh, I'm definitely starting to see signs of growth.''

“Compared to the past, my first year here, I’ve definitely grown a lot more,” Pickens continued.

However, he continued to give cryptic answers to the following questions.

Pickens, a former second-round pick, caught 59 passes for 900 yards and three touchdowns in 14 regular-season games, but fines and other debacles made him a top target for quarterback Russell Wilson. His accomplishments as a former president faded into the background.

Among them: a $10,231 fine for writing “Open F-king Always” on a black eye in October, and Browns cornerback Gregg after the Steelers' game against Cleveland a month later. – Included a shoving match with Newsom II.

Then, during a Week 18 game against the Bengals, he appeared to start biting the jaw with someone in the stands, while also being fined $22,511 for unnecessary rough and tumble with a face mask during the game. imposed.

And throughout the season, other moments surrounding Pickens' on-field performance began to weigh on head coach Mike Tomlin.

“He's got to grow up,” Tomlin told reporters after the Steelers defeated the Bengals on Dec. 2 and Pickens was given two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. “This is an emotional game. These divisional games are big. He's George, so he's got a target on his back. He understands that. But he's got to grow, and We have to grow up quickly.”

Pickens has one year left on his rookie contract before he becomes a free agent, and the Steelers will have to make a quarterback decision in the offseason as Wilson's one-year contract is up.

Wilson expressed a desire to return next year in the aftermath of a season-ending loss in which Pittsburgh's offense once again struggled.

However, it's unclear whether Pickens shares the same sentiments about the 36-year-old after his postgame comments.