During his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver George Pickens has remained a controversial player. From controversial comments in the media to reportedly showing up late for the Chiefs game, Pickens’ future in Pittsburgh has been questioned as he enters a contract year.

However, former All-Pro wide receiver Chad Johnson has tried to reach out as a mentor to Pickens. Over the season, he urged Pickens to change his ways. Now, after the season’s end, Johnson says he has met with Pickens, and all of the maturity issues will not happen anymore.

“That I don’t like,” Johnson said. “And we done talked. We had that conversation. I guarantee you won’t have any more problems out of him. Mike Tomlin, you gonna see this. Rooneys, you’re gonna see this. I guarantee you won’t have any more problems with him.”

Pickens, who has become embroiled in some early offseason trade rumors amid maturity issues, could be up for a contract extension this offseason. Team president Art Rooney II looks forward to the future with Pickens and the Steelers.

“I think the wide receiver room is an area we’ve got to look at improving. And, you know, look, George is a very talented player who has room to grow. And we’d like to see him grow, and, you know, hopefully he realizes the potential that he has. But there’s definitely room for growth there,” Rooney said.

Pickens’ talent is immense and the Steelers still lack any answers at the wide receiver besides him. So, they either have to move him if they do not want to pay him, or pay him this offseason as he heads into the last year of his contract.

Pickens was inconsistent at times and dealt with issues on the field. He has been embroiled in controversy over the entire season. Even Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that Pickens needed to ‘grow up,’ but the Steelers remain in a tough spot with Pickens as the only wide receiver of note on the roster.