Steelers Finally Announce George Pickens’ Future After DK Metcalf Signing as Mike Tomlin Makes Big QB Confession

We witnessed it last season. The Steelers had a wide receiver problem. Sure, they had George Pickens, but the rest of the room didn’t stand out. For instance, remember their September game against the Broncos (week 2 of the regular season)? The Denver Broncos trusted their cornerbacks against the Steelers’ wide receivers and they were a lot aggressive in the latter half of the game. But once it was the Steelers’ receivers to shine, no one did much apart from Pickens. In fact, in their first two games of the season, their WRs (not including Pickens) recorded only five catches for 28 yards!

“When it comes to man-to-man coverage, our receivers and tight ends just have to win,” former Steelers QB, Justin Fields, stated back then. So this offseason, the team knew they needed more weapons and brought in DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks (a new five-year, $132 million deal). And while this was great news for the fans of the black and gold team, another narrative was set: The team might not be able to spend a huge amount on two WRs and so, Pickens might leave.

You see, his rookie contract will soon come to an end as he is walking into the final year of his deal. So the team will have to make a decision on his extension. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted the player in Round 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft with the No. 52 overall pick, and it looks like the team wants him on their side in the future. The Steelers GM Omar Khan talked about the WR’s future at the NFL annual meeting and said:

“No. You need more than one receiver in this league, and we’re fortunate we have George (Pickens) and Calvin (Austin III) and excited about what Roman [Wilson] is going to be able to do for us.” This was his refusal to any type of trade impact of DK Metcalf on Pickens in the franchise. Even the HC Mike Tomlin agreed to this and said, “We’ll figure that out, but that’s not a problem as I see it. These guys that want to be significant reasons why we’re successful, guys that have the talent to do so, I’ll stand in line for those issues.

“I don’t necessarily view them as similar, to be quite honest with you. I mean, DK (Metcalf) is a big man, ‘GP’ (George Pickens) is tall. There’s a difference,” Tomlin said, as reported by Penn Live. It will surely be interesting to see how Pickens and Metcalf work together under Arthur Smith’s pedagogy.

DK Metcalf is a beast in the football world. In six seasons, he played 97 games (93 starters) and recorded 438 receptions for 6,324 receiving yards and 48 touchdowns. But they have a bigger issue to deal with right now. What is it? It’s their signal-caller position. Aaron Rodgers is not ready to commit, and the draft is still 22 days away. In this scenario, the HC Mike Tomlin is propping up his team with their backup QB.

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I think Metcalf will elevate the WR room to another level

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Mike Tomlin is ready to play Mason Rudolph as their starter!

After their primary QBs, Russell Wilson (NY Giants) and Justin Fields (NY Jets) moved on, there was only one path left. They had to sign someone fast. And they brought in the 7-year veteran QB Mason Rudolph. He spent 6 years with the franchise earlier. In those 6 years, from 2018 to 2023, he played 21 games (13 starters) and had an 8-4 win-loss record (1 draw). It gave them the confidence to sign him up for a 2-year $8 million deal.

The HC Mike Tomlin is ready to start him again, as he said, “That’s why we brought him back. I’m comfortable with that. We’ve been there before. He’s a very capable guy.”

He wasn’t the only one in the building who carried this feeling. Even the Steelers GM Omar Khan praised the quarterback by saying, “I have a lot of confidence in Mason… Our experience with Mason’s been relatively positive, so he made sense.” That being said, Khan also stated that they weren’t done with their QB room. “We always go to training camp with four quarterbacks, and we have two under contract right now, so all options are on the table through free agency, trade or draft, obviously.”

That’s right, but there’s a hidden pain. Instead of a great signing, it looks more like being content with their choices. They wanted Aaron Rodgers to commit, but he is refusing to do so. In that scenario, they are trying to keep the environment positive. That’s the only way forward for Mike Tomlin & Co. But also, the QB has a strong arm and is 6’5”, and things might work if he is able to constantly find Pickens on the field. That was the Steelers’ plan last season with Fields. Now the team also has Metcalf, who could be yet another target for the quarterback.

Do you think Rudolph is the ultimate answer for the Steelers? Let us know in the comments below.