George Pickens childish behavior might force Steelers hand with Brandon Aiyuk

It's been one day without some unnecessary drama in Latrobe, home of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. As the Justin Fields-Russell Wilson quarterback 'controversy' drones on (Wilson is the starter, stop), George Pickens got jealous.

Pickens and his new wide receivers coach already got in a verbal altercation. It's been less than a week. Per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Zach Azzanni let Pickens have it when the Georgia product didn't finish his route the correct way. Pickens wasn't thrilled in the moment, but was quickly put in his place.

Pickens quickly got over the exchange, complimenting his new position coach to the media.

“I welcome him,” Pickens said of Azzanni on Saturday, according to Joe Rutter of TribLive.com. “I had a coach like that in college, so it’s not a huge change for me."

More George Pickens drama is not something the Steelers can afford

Good on Pickens for realizing his mistake. However, Pickens actions on and off the field have all too frequently come back to bite him, whether it be a lack of effort on a run play, or deleting all Steelers-related information on his social media. This isn't a one-off for the embattled wide receiver, and despite all of his talent one can't help but wonder how much drama Pittsburgh can take. This is the same team that employed Antonio Brown, after all.

To top it all off, Pittsburgh is reportedly one of the teams interested in adding another star wide receiver in Brandon Aiyuk. Aiyuk wants a new contract -- likely a deal close to $30 million AAV -- and the 49ers don't want to pay it. The Steelers, or another contender with sufficient cap room, can afford that thanks to Omar Khan's fluency in cap gymnastics.

If the Steelers acquire the likes of Aiyuk, or even Courtland Sutton for that matter, Pickens suddenly becomes far less important to their long-term plans. Mike Tomlin and Co. put up with Pickens actions in part because they have to. He's young and talented enough to get away with infrequent nonsense -- Pickens rarely goes over the top, but he creates enough drama that fans and pundits are rarely surprised by his actions.

Acquiring Aiyuk, although expensive, would eliminate a looming issue for the Steelers next offseason. Who needs to pick up Pickens option when they already have another top receiving threat in tow? Right now, that's not the case, but it could be if Pittsburgh can pull off another trade heist.