The Pittsburgh Steelers do not currently have a starting quarterback, but they're certainly loading up on the receiver position in some highly interning ways. On Sunday, Pittsburgh traded its 2025 second-round pick for the services of former Seattle Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf, and then signed Metcalf to a new five-year, $150 million contract.
Metcalf is one of the bigger and more physical receivers in the NFL, and that's something that could also be said of George Pickens, who's already been in the Steelers' receiver room since 2022, when Pittsburgh selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia.
Both receivers have a similar physical type, and they've been deployed startingly similarly on two different teams. Both Metcalf and Pickens lead with go, post, hitch, and out routes, with moon-ball boundary fades as a singular specialty.
The two receivers are also very much alike in general temperament. Sometimes, to the abject frustrations of their coaches.
Your new Steelers WR addition https://t.co/WG6h2e8y5jpic.twitter.com/9JjwbTxC22
— Nick Martin (@themicknartin) March 10, 2025
"D.K. and I talked for a long time last night about [how] that's not what we can allow to happen because that means that they can control him and get after him," former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said of Metcalf after Seattle's season-opening 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in 2023, when Metcalf picked up a taunting penalty for throwing Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon to the ground on a block, and amplifying the situation after the fact. "So, he has to elevate above that. It's a challenge. This is nothing new. D.K.'s been an emotional, feisty, fiery player since the day he got here, and that is who he is. But he has to also manage that so they don't take advantage of it."
Rams head coach Sean McVay was not pleased after this dirty hit from Seahawks star D.K Metcalf injured one of his players... Metcalf was flagged for taunting on the play. pic.twitter.com/XOTWBOd52a
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) September 10, 2023
Metcalf, for all his talent, has always had issues getting out of his own way at times.
Pickens, once again, could be seen as Metcalf's doppleganger in that respect. As gifted as he can be, Pickens has gone though all kinds of interesting tantrums through his brief NFL career. If he doesn't get the ball enough, it's always a possibility. If you get on the wrong side of the temper, it's always a possibility.
Looks like #Steelers WR George Pickens ended up in the stands (or very close to it) after the game and had to be held back: pic.twitter.com/KoXsdDEFDt
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 22, 2024
"I think he's grown in all areas, not only in terms of skill relative to his position, he has a lot of that, but the nuances of the game, getting in and out of cuts, hand selection, and so forth, he's grown in a lot of ways," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said last September of Pickens. "Obviously as a human, he's grown in the ways you would expect young guys to grow in terms of knowledge of the game and what it means to be a professional and how to conduct yourself."
Well, yes and no.
It's something that Tomlin has dealt with expertly with a number of "mercurial" Steelers players over the last nearly 20 years (hello, Antonio Brown), but as much as Tomlin has been able to keep things together in that sense... well, one wonders if the Metcalf trade and deal is the first step in showing Pickens a new NFL home. When the new league year turns over next Wednesday, Pickens will be in the last year of his rookie contract, and the Steelers obviously just spent a pretty penny at the position.
Hey, maybe it all works out. Maybe Pickens and Metcalf understand each other, help each other grow, and cancel each other out from a temperament standpoint. But if the plan is to have both of these guys in the same environment, it's fair to wonder if any town is big enough for the both of them.
Related: Why Davante Adams Should Thrive In Sean McVay's Rams Offense
Related: The Most Underrated Players in the 2025 NFL Free Agent Class
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This story was originally published March 9, 2025 at 8:50 PM.
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