It was a very strange season for the Pittsburgh Steelers and especially star wide receiver George Pickens. And as it came to an end Saturday night in a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, it ended in fitting fashion – with more questions than answers.
While the Steelers made the playoffs once again, their limited ceiling was obvious thanks to shaky quarterback play from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields all season long. In addition, the team had some very weird vibes with players calling out the effort on the team and Pickens specifically being capable of producing some kind of drama. Even Amazon game analyst Kirk Herbstreit called out the effort he saw in the Steelers in the first half when the Ravens were running away from them.
After the loss, it wasn’t what George Pickens said that made headlines in the postgame press conference. It’s what he didn’t say.
When asked if he was optimistic about the Steelers offense moving forward, he responded with one simple word.
“Nah.”
George Pickens says he has seen growth from the offense since he’s been with the Steelers, but admits he’s not optimistic of the offense going forward. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/ss4BaU49sZ
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) January 12, 2025
The offense wasn’t all bad for the Steelers on Saturday night and George Pickens ended the night with 5 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. But their slow start saw them climb into a hole that they simply did not have the explosiveness to get out of.
Now there’s an air of uncertainty in Pittsburgh. Even after his lengthy, successful tenure, there are rumblings that the Steelers could part ways with head coach Mike Tomlin. And with a number of veterans on the roster and an unsure quarterback situation, the future looks as uncertain as it has for the franchise in a long, long time.
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