When it comes to answering media questions, George Pickens is infamous for his undesirable comments. Despite being close to wrapping up his third season in the NFL, the talented Steelers wide receiver rarely gives the responses the coaching staff is no doubt hoping to hear.
Now he's at it again. But this time, he didn't blame the media or pretend not to know a cornerback who got the best of him. Instead, it was a lack of comment that was worth a thousand words.
As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to host the Cincinnati Bengals for a pivotal AFC Showdown in the season finale on Saturday, Pickens spoke to the Steelers' media after practice. The star receiver was asked about the miscommunication between Russell Wilson and himself that resulted in an interception against the Chiefs.
Instead of taking the blame or talking about ways to improve the communication, Pickens covered his face, turned his head, and walked away—leaving the beat reporter's question unanswered.
Explaining his interception in the end zone after the Chiefs loss, Russell Wilson said he thought George Pickens was going to go vertical instead of breaking off his route.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 2, 2025
Asked about the miscommunication today, Pickens didn’t have anything to add. pic.twitter.com/mE8oh78Csl
We all know the famous quote from Mark Twain: "It's better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt". In this case, the opposite is true.
Pickens could have given any number of responses to the media, and as long as it didn't involve throwing his quarterback under the bus, it would have been better than what we witnessed from him in front of the media this week.
George Pickens' future with the Steelers in question
Earlier in the week, TribLive's Chris Adamski discussed the possibility of the Steelers giving George Pickens the Diontae Johnson treatment and trading him during the offseason. With continued questionable decisions like this, it's not hard to see why.
Pickens has been labeled as childish and even uncoachable. It was his immaturity that led to ten wide receivers being selected ahead of him in the 2022 NFL Draft.
While Pittsburgh is desperate for wide receiver help, the front office could hesitate to throw a new contract at a receiver who has taken plays off and has been questioned for quitting on the team at times over the past two years.
If the Steelers decide to keep him long-term, they need to come up with a solution to reduce the distractions. Whether it's temper tantrums during the game or cringeworthy comments (or lack thereof) to the media, there's only so much the team is going to be able to put up with.