Aside from the Steelers looking atrocious on both sides of the ball, another fairly large storyline coming out of the loss revolved around George Pickens . Pickens made some good plays against the Chiefs, but he also caused some issues while going against the defending Super Bowl champions. The third-year wide receiver gave up on one of his routes which resulted in an interception, and he also had a questionable postgame handshake with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
This is a non-issue, but of course many people have problems with it. Is it a bit unorthodox to interrupt a live interview on TV to dap up the opposing team? Yes, but it is also a sign of good sportsmanship. Pickens has gotten into fights after two of Pittsburgh’s losses during the 2024 season, so this seems like a much better alternative.
Pickens going out of his way to speak with Mahomes and Kelce after the game also has some people theorizing that the young wide receiver wants out of Pittsburgh. Times have obviously been frustrating in Pittsburgh over the last several seasons. The wide receiver may want to continue his playing career elsewhere once his rookie deal is up, but he isn’t trying to send subliminal messages to the opposing team. Mike Florio spoke on his show Pro Football Talk about how he believes Pickens was trying to send a message to Mahomes and the Chiefs.
“My thought was, he’s saying ‘Come get me.’ I mean, I feel like Pickens has been at that point of, ‘I’ve had enough here’ for a while now. It flashes from time to time. He has visions of what he could do in an offense with a higher end passing game, an offense that throws the ball more than the Steelers do. And they’ve had a hard time. Think of all the guys who have been problematic at the receiver position that Mike Tomlin has kept it under wraps until either the very end or after they’re gone. With Pickens, it’s been fairly constant the past couple of seasons. But he’s so good that you keep finding a way to try to get the most out of him.”
Pickens’ career has certainly been handicapped by the ineffectiveness of Pittsburgh’s offense and inconsistency at the quarterback position. Obviously Kansas City would probably be considered the most desirable destination for a pass catcher in the NFL, but Florio does make a good point about problematic receivers in Pittsburgh. Tomlin has consistently been able to coach problematic wide receivers and get them to be effective with the Steelers, and then when the player leaves, they struggle to find success. This may make teams throughout the league hesitant when it comes to pursuing Pickens via trade or once his rookie deal expires after 2025.
Steelers’ George Pickens’ Future Is In Question
Florio is drawing a ton of conclusions from a simple postgame handshake. It likely meant nothing. Mahomes and Kelce are also two of the most respected players in the league who are surefire Hall of Famers, so maybe Pickens just wanted to pay his respects. Regardless, it is quite easy to see why Pickens may want out of Pittsburgh, or why the Steelers may want to send the wide receiver elsewhere. Either way, nothing has officially been reported and many are drawing speculation from a postgame handshake that was likely meaningless.
