While George Pickens was a headache sometimes, some are questioning if the Pittsburgh Steelers made a wise move by trading him. It seems like Pickens’ attitude was one of the reasons why he was dealt. However, the former second-round pick being in a contract year probably also contributed to the decision. The Steelers likely weren’t going to give Pickens the kind of money he was seeking. However, some fans are wondering if Pittsburgh is being too cheap. Colin Cowherd disagrees with that assessment, though.
“There’s a difference between being cheap and just having some financial realities that don’t play in your favor,” Cowherd said Monday on FS1’s The Herd. “George Pickens is the talented wide receiver that left Pittsburgh.
“They traded him for a third-round pick to go to Dallas. Cincinnati’s owner is cheap. Pittsburgh will pay their stars. They paid Big Ben [Roethlisberger], they paid a Hines Ward, [James] Harrison, T.J. Watt. Pittsburgh’s not cheap.”
Cowherd is correct that the Steelers generally don’t shy away from paying their best players top dollar. They do have some precedents in contract negotiations that they tend to not break, but they’ve been a little looser in recent years. Watt’s contract in particular was a big step for the Steelers in terms of guaranteed money.
While the Steelers are still negotiationing with Watt on another long-term contract, it’s very likely that they’ll get a new deal done. That won’t be cheap. Watt isn’t the only that the Steelers have paid handsomely, either.
Last year, at 35 years old, Cam Heyward got a nice contract extension. This offseason, the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf, and they also gave him a massive extension. There are things to criticize about the Steelers, but being cheap isn’t one of them.
However, Cowherd does have some issues with the way they use their money.
“The Steelers, in my opinion, don’t spend their money wisely. That said, they have taken care of a Minkah Fitzpatrick, a T.J. Watt,” he said. “They just spend too much money on defense, not enough on offense. They’re tone deaf.”
Cowherd has voiced his frustrations with the way the Steelers are built multiple times before. Much of their money is spent on defense, but part of that is because they haven’t had that same star power on offense. The Metcalf deal proves they aren’t unwilling pay offensive players, though. They just haven’t had many reasons to recently.
With Aaron Rodgers potentially on the way, the Steelers could spend more money to improve their offense. If upgrades are available, the team tends not to sit on its cap space. Not paying Pickens could end up being a smart move. Pittsburgh has been wise to move on from temperamental receivers before.
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