Will the Pittsburgh Steelers trade wide receiver George Pickens in 2025?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a precarious position at wide receiver in 2025. Most would agree that changes are needed in this area, but does that simply mean adding a better complement to George Pickens or overhauling the WR corps entirely?

NFL.com writer Adam Rank recommended the latter on February 21, advising the Steelers to trade Pickens while he can still get them a lot back in return.

“[Pickens is] another young receiver who could fetch a nice price from a trading partner seeking a true No. 1 pass-catching option,” Rank began, connecting the Green Bay Packers as a team that the Steelers “should” call about a Pickens trade.

“Pickens has been inconsistent, but the Steelers have also trotted out a wide assortment of quarterbacks during his first three seasons in the NFL,” the analyst went on. “Having him as the top target for, say, Jordan Love would be huge for Matt LaFleur’s Packers offense.”

Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs made headlines this winter after stating that the Packers could use a true number one wide receiver. This concern became even more apparent after the NFC North franchise lost Christian Watson to injury long-term.

Could that pass-catcher be Pickens?

“The Steelers also get a chance to avoid an uncomfortable conversation with Pickens when the 2022 second-round pick’s contract is up at the end of the 2025 season,” Rank continued within his reasoning, concluding: “Let’s be completely honest, the Steelers have done a great job over the last few decades of moving on from receivers before issues arise, financial or otherwise.”

Steelers Would Have to Replace George Pickens in NFL Free Agency & the Draft

If the Steelers decide to preemptively cut bait with Pickens as Rank suggested, they’d likely have to either sign and/or draft two wide receivers in his place. This might seem counterproductive, but Pittsburgh could choose to do this if they feel Pickens’ attitude and unpredictable nature have reached a point where they’d rather move forward with new wideouts in 2025.

Not to mention, they’d restart the financial clock if they traded Pickens and drafted his replacement.

Pickens trade or not, the Steelers have been connected to wide receivers in round one for most of the offseason. Prospects like Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka, Texas’ Matthew Golden and Missouri’s Luther Burden III have all become popular potential wide receiver targets for Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have also been labeled as a “fit” for veteran free agents like Chris Godwin, Keenan Allen, Darius Slayton, DeAndre Hopkins and more.

Pairing a new first-round wide receiver like Egbuka with a veteran like Godwin would likely provide enough production to account for a Pickens trade, but with less of a headache — especially if second-year WR Roman Wilson takes a step forward in his development.

At the very least, it’s another avenue for Pittsburgh to consider as they mull their offseason ahead of free agency.

Steelers Beat Reporter Says Pittsburgh Will Most Likely Let George Pickens Play out Rookie Contract

During a February 19 mailbag post on X, veteran beat reporter Mark Kaboly was asked about the most likely Pickens outcome, in his opinion.

“Do you think George Pickens gets traded, extended, or plays out his last year?” The fan’s question pondered.

To which Kaboly replied: “The betting favorite right now is letting him play out his final year. I know I wouldn’t entertain trading him unless I found a legit No. 1 in free agency and that might be difficult to pull off considering the receiver market compared to what they have in Pickens. I definitely think it would be a risk to sign him long term so that’s last on my list.”

Kaboly’s prediction may lean toward one final season of Pickens, but it’s important to note that he ranked a trade as more likely than an extension. It’ll be interesting to see how this situation plays out in the coming weeks and months.