George Pickens DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

One of the Pittsburgh Steelers' top priorities this offseason will be adding a wide receiver, and Penn Live's Nick Farabaugh writes that a new receiver is expected to complement George Pickens instead of replacing him. Sources have talked down the idea of the Steelers trading Pickens despite his maturity issues in 2024. Pittsburgh will exhaust every avenue once again as they look to add a receiver, with sources pointing to the trade market as a likely avenue. However, the team doesn't play to make any moves at the position until they know who will be starting at quarterback. If the Denver Broncos' talks on a long-term extension with receiver Courtland Sutton break down, the Steelers will be aggressive in trying to trade for him. Farabaugh also expects the Steelers to circle back to Darius Slayton and Christian Kirk, two wideouts that the team was interested in at last year's trade deadline.

As Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens enters the final year of his rookie deal, general manager Omar Khan hinted at wanting to keep Pickens in the organization long term. "[Pickens] has a desire to be great here," Khan said. "We have a desire for him to be great and to be great here." The 2022 second-round pick out of Georgia has hauled in 174 of his 293 targets for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns in 48 career games. Pickens flashed with 1,140 receiving yards in 2023 before posting 900 yards in 14 games last year. The Steelers' wide receiver room is lacking high-end talent, and he's the clear No. 1 option in the passing game as the roster stands.

The Athltic's Mike DeFabo writes that Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens, who is heading into the final deal of his rookie contract in 2025, could "hold in" at training camp this summer to force the Steelers to either trade him or give him guaranteed money early. DeFabo thinks that it's unlikely the Steelers will give Pickens a contract extension this summer after head coach Mike Tomlin said the 23-year-old wideout needed to "grow up" after a win over the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals. Pickens showed up late on Christmas Day against the Kansas City Chiefs and got into a shouting match with a fan in the regular-season finale. Pickens has shown plenty of talent as a pass-catcher, but his immaturity could get him run out of town. His 2025 fantasy value will depend largely on who the Steelers choose to be their starting quarterback.