George Pickens might be the most divisive player on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Among the fanbase, there are those who believe he's only scratching the surface of his talent, while others feel it's long overdue for the team to send him packing.
Ben Roethlisberger agrees with the latter.
On the latest episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the former Steelers quarterback shared his thoughts on the remaining playoff teams, how to find the right head coach, and debated whether Justin Fields or Russell Wilson should be Pittsburgh's starting quarterback in 2024. Big Ben also talked about what the team should do with Pickens.
“George Pickens, you have decisions to make," Roethlisberger explained on the podcast. "You either have to sign him to a long-term deal, which would not be high on my priority list. You let him play this year, you franchise him, and then he's gone. So you have two years with him. You trade him.”
Roethlisberger made it clear that handing Pickens a lofty contract extension would not be high on his priority list. It's not hard to see why. While the team could take Ben's suggestion by letting him play out the remainder of his deal and letting him walk away, a trade is in the best interest of both parties.
Steelers must cleanse themselves of George Pickens in 2025
As good as George Pickens can be at times, his lack of consistency and reliability makes him a gamble that isn't worth taking when it comes to a new contract. In his third NFL season in 2024, Pickens' low moments on the field were as bad as any game he's played in his career (like his dud performance against the Bengals in Week 18, which included zero yards and three drops).
But it's hardly just his on-field consistencies that make him a major issue.
The Steelers have put up with child-like temper tantrums and ill-received responses to the media for three years now, and I'm sure they've handled just about all they can take at this point. Diontae Johnson was traded last offseason for similar reasons.
The most incriminating thing about Pickens, however, is his utter lack of effort at times during the season—like against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football where he visibly gave up on his team and ran his routes half speed.
Though Pickens is still very young, we are too far into his career at this point to believe that things are going to change. Like it or not George Pickens is a diva, and Ben Roethlisberger is one hundred percent correct when saying that a contract extension for Pickens should not be high on the list of the Steelers' priorities this offseason.