The Pittsburgh Steelers and George Pickens finally went their separate ways this summer as the talented wideout, in the final year of his rookie contract, was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys. Now Pickens gets the chance to catch fastballs from Dak Prescott on America's Team, with a white-hot spotlight and a new weight on his shoulders known as the burden of expectation. The Steelers get rid of a locker room agitator.
It's generally silly to get caught up in rumors of locker room beef or off-field noise, but Pickens did make a point to out himself as a distraction on several occasions. He butted heads with coaches and teammates. He went to social media and asked Pittsburgh to "free" him. The production on the field was not worth the headache off of it (and sometimes on it, as Pickens' effort level and engagement frequently wavered).
As Pittsburgh loves to move on from Pickens, might a former teammate with a slightly more mature perspective be worth a phone call? Allen Robinson has been around the block a few times. He went from the big-shot young star to the sage veteran.
A 2023 interview between The Athletic's Mark Kaboly and Robinson shows exactly why Pittsburgh might want to seek a reunion.
Allen Robinson's veteran leadership can help Steelers move on from George Pickens
"I want to win,” Robinson told The Athletic back when he was serving as a mentor to Pickens. “I am at the point where ego and different things like that are out the window. Whether it is a big task or a small task, I treat them all equally. Whether it is getting targets, catches, or blocking — whatever I can do to help this team is what I want to be able to do."
Pittsburgh still needs WR depth after the Pickens trade. Robinson's production has been on the decline for a while, but he's still a tall, dynamic athlete with lots of valuable experience and the right attitude. If he's willing to buy into a niche role, muck it up as a run blocker and bring that same selfless attitude to a reshaped locker room, Robinson can provide value to the Steelers. He's a free agent and it's clear the market value is plenty affordable.
"I have been able to talk to [Pickens and Diontae Johnson], and No. 1 is that, me as an example, I always want to lead by example,” Robinson told The Athletic. “A lot of young receivers have that [me-first reputation] across the league. I am trying my best to help them be a big-picture receiver. Even for myself, I wasn’t always big-picture-oriented throughout my younger days. Once you get into different experiences and on different teams, you see things differently."
While Robinson did his best, it feels like Pickens never quite got the memo. Pickens is young and he has an appetite for personal growth and success, which we can hardly malign. We can't really blame him for getting frustrated with Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada either, or even Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith. But, at the end of the day, leadership oftentimes means relaying frustrations to the right channels and keeping a low profile in the public sphere. You can't put "free me" on IG stories and expect it to blow over like the wind.
Re-signing Robinson, if not outright revenge on Pickens, would at least give Pittsburgh a meaningful voice of leadership and another half-decent target for Rodgers.