Latest George Pickens fine has Steelers fans comparing him to Antonio Brown

Last Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers entered a tough AFC North divisional game against the Cincinnati Bengals after coming off a heart-wrenching loss to another divisional rival, the Cleveland Browns.

With it only being the third game of four in a four-game in-division stretch, which concludes Sunday against the Browns yet again, the Steelers needed all hands on deck to pull off the win over Joe Burrow and the Bengals.

Thanks to Russell Wilson's best performance yet in a Steelers uniform, with 414 yards on 38 attempts, three touchdowns, and one interception, the Steelers were able to pull off the 44-38 win. However, the gunslinging performance from Russ also led to two personal fouls against third-year wide receiver George Pickens, a trend that seems to have become far too common for the young star.

Steelers have a history with troubled wideouts

The Steelers in recent history seem to have an uncanny ability to find some of the most troublesome, and equally talented wide receivers in the NFL, notably, Antonio Brown and George Pickens.

Antonio Brown was the star receiver for the Steelers from 2010 to 2018. Drafted in the sixth round, he was easily the steal of the draft. In that time he won a Super Bowl, four first-team All-Pro awards, and seven Pro-Bowl selections. He was the receptions leader twice and the receiving yards leader twice, to name a few of his accolades. It is safe to say that Brown was one of the best receivers in the league at the time, but it came with a price.

Brown had constant on-field and off-field issues with the coaching staff, teammates, and opposing players. It seemed every week Brown would go viral for some of the most absurd on-field antics. In total Brown racked up a staggering $338,000 in fines from teams and the NFL in his career.

Eventually, this behavior led to disagreements with teammates and coaches as well as public criticism from the fan base. In 2019 the Steelers traded Brown to the Las Vegas Raiders (then the Oakland Raiders) which was very short-lived as he was released from the team before the start of the season following a whirlwind of controversy.

Brown then signed with the New England Patriots before the start of the season, which was also short-lived as he was released after off-field allegations. Finally, the wideout settled with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season which then ended the next year after Brown left the field in dramatic fashion during the third quarter of the game, after which Brown was again released.

Brown's behavioral issues defined his career, who knows how good he could have been if he was able to maintain his composure. Hopefully, we don't see Pickens have the same fate.

George Pickens behavioral issues are well-documented

Unfortunately for the Steelers, it seems wideout George Pickens is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Brown. The team's No. 1 wideout on the depth chart had three receptions for 74 yards and a touchdown in last week's win, making a clear difference in the outcome of the game.

During the rivalry matchup Pickens was fined $20,462 last Sunday on two personal fouls, one of which seemed like Pickens was firing a 'finger gun' towards the stands after his one touchdown, according to Tom Pelissero in this post on X.

While his wallet is surely hurting after a fine like that, this also raises concerns with the organization from the team and fans alike. While it’s far too early to lump him in with the likes of Antonio Brown in terms of severity, the comparisons are there, and they’re getting harder to ignore. These issues aren’t just a matter of a few dollars coming out of Pickens’ paycheck. Every penalty shifts momentum for the team in a crucial position trying to win the division, and every mental lapse breeds mistrust between him and the rest of the organization.

At some point if Pickens continues on this trend, head coach Mike Tomlin will have to put his foot down and discipline the young player for his actions, however with Pickens listed out this week against the Browns for a hamstring injury, we will have to wait until next week to see whether or not the financial punishment was enough to get through to him.