Ben Roethlisberger sounds done with George Pickens, and the Steelers can't blame him

The Pittsburgh Steelers offseason has only just begun, and troubled wide receiver George Pickens is at the center of a controversy. In the aftermath of Pittsburgh's loss to the Baltimore Ravens, a report from Mike DeFabo of The Athletic ($) revealed Pickens was over an hour late for the Steelers Christmas Day game against the Kansas City Chiefs, only further adding the laundry list of Pickens distractions from the 2024 season.

As Mike Tomlin said earlier this season, at some point Pickens is going to have to grow up. The Steelers have a knack for drafting wide receivers with – how should I put this – a me-first mentality. That doesn't always fly in Pittsburgh, and it certainly doesn't when the team fails to live up to expectations.

At his end-of-season press conference, Pickens claimed he wasn't thinking about a contract extension and didn't have much hope in the offense moving forward. Just a few hours later, he clarified on social media and posted a thoughtful message to Steelers fans on his IG story.

And that, to a certain extent, is the story of Pickens as a Steeler. He's not enough of a distraction to warrant any sort of long-term punishment, but just when it seems like he's getting comfortable in his own skin, Pickens goes out of his way to single-handedly create chaos.

Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is done with George Pickens

Former Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has seen enough, suggesting Omar Khan should look to replace Pickens and solidify his receiving corps before Pickens backs the front office into a corner in extension talks.

"George Pickens, you have decisions to make," Roethlisberger said. "You either have to sign him to a long-term deal, which would not be high on my priority list...you let him play this year, you franchise him, and then he's gone. So you have two years with him. You trade him."

The problem with that theory is the Steelers own the No. 21 pick in the NFL Draft. It's not like they're have a chance at Travis Hunter or a top-tier wideout. Unless Khan can convince Tee Higgins to join a rival, I have my doubts about whether they can sufficiently replace Pickens this offseason. And, as we all know by now, Pittsburgh's depth behind Pickens is severely lacking. And given Pickens constant distractions, his trade value isn't all that high right now.

Roethlisberger's opinion isn't totally off-base, though – Steelers fans are tired of Pickens act. Heading into his first offseason where he's eligible for a long-term extension, that's not a good sign for Pickens. Pittsburgh fans would normally clamor for the organization to extend a player as talented as he is, but Pickens brings some extra baggage, and the Steelers are scarred from ghosts of dramatic wide receiver breakups past.

Unfortunately for the Steelers, they aren't in position to follow through with that advice, which makes it the wrong call at the end of the day.