The Pittsburgh Steelers felt they had to deal George Pickens to eventually sign Aaron Rodgers. At least that’s what ESPN is hinting at as his maturity might have become an issue long term. According to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, the front office felt that the receiver and Rodgers might not have hit it off, so they preemptively made the move, sending Pickens to Dallas, to ensure they got their quarterback. In a way, you can’t blame the Steelers since they truly put all their eggs in the Rodgers basket.
But why are they the ones to make that decision? I think they should have let Rodgers make that decision for a couple of reasons. One, what if Pickens and him would have, in fact, got along. And two, does this hurt the offense having one less playmaker? I think Pickens' attitude problems stemmed from a bigger issue, which has less to do with his maturity.
Aaron Rodgers could have solved George Pickens biggest problem with his on-field attitude
While there’s no argument to be made when it comes to Pickens' attitude and maturity, I don’t think it stems from a lack of maturity, but rather not having a respectable quarterback throwing to him. Pickens is a hot head, but if you look at most of the times he was acting out, it was because he wasn’t getting the ball.
Russell Wilson, for as good of an addition as he was, wasn’t the best option for Pickens and this offense. Pickens wants the ball, and Rodgers would have found a way to get him the ball. Rodgers has been extremely accurate throughout his career, so hitting Pickens wouldn’t have been a problem.
I think the biggest problem would have been the ego issue of sharing the ball with DK Metcalf. There’s no surprise that Metcalf is going to be the primary target for Rodgers. That may have been their thinking in offloading him before it became a problem. That said, I think they should have given it a whirl because if there’s one thing this offense needs, it's as many weapons as possible.
Will George Pickens’ ego affect his stance with his new team?
So the Steelers made it the Dallas Cowboys’ problem and it could very well end up being a problem, knowing how hot-headed he can be. The difference is, this offense thrives when it has two receivers to go to. So, Pickens shouldn’t feel slighted by CeeDee Lamb. This offense is built for multiple weapons.
I think as long as Pickens doesn’t have outbursts like he did in Pittsburgh, he should be fine. That won’t fly with Jerry Jones. Dak Prescott has some accuracy issues so that could trigger Pickens, but all in all, it was the best-case scenario for both sides.