Steelers' George Pickens Went Missing Before A Game In 2022 Causing Complete Panic

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a ton of excitement surrounding them as they entered the 2022 season. It was the first season in the post-Ben Roethlisberger era, and his assumed successor was on the roster in Kenny Pickett. Pittsburgh had an exciting draft class in 2022 with both Pickett and George Pickens being chosen with the team's top two selections. The two were thought to be the next great quarterback-wide receiver duo in Pittsburgh, but obviously that didn't pan out.

Heading into the 2022 season, Pickett was the backup to Mitch Trubisky. Fans knew the rookie would play eventually, it was just unclear when his time would come. He wound up making his debut in the middle of Pittsburgh's game against the New York Jets in Week 4 after Trubisky was benched. This was a game that Pickens almost wasn't there for. Steelers fan and media personality, Jersey Jerry, told a story about Pickens' teammates searching for him before the game on the Macrodosing Podcast. 

"I have a really funny story about George Pickens that I've been debating about sharing on air. It's pretty good. So, I had connections, and I had heard a story last year. I'm not going to say the team they were playing, but it was a home game, green and white team a year or two ago. This person told me, you know, they get there like 3, 4, 5 hours before the game. It's like an hour before the game and people are texting George like, 'Where you at?' No response. Then coaches start to text him. He shows up 10 minutes before the game with a bag of Twizzlers and says, 'Yo, my bad, I was in traffic.'"

Jerry may seem like just a big fan to many, but he does have some good relationships within the organization. He golfed with TJ Watt during the offseason, and was fairly close with Pickett. He doesn't reveal his source for the Pickens story, but it is safe to assume what he is saying is correct. 

Based on the context clues of this incident happening at a home game against a team with the colors of green and white, it was fairly easy to decipher that this happened ahead of the game against the Jets in 2022. This was just the second home game of Pickens' career, so maybe he hadn't quite figured out the traffic patterns in the city. However, players usually get to the field well in advance of kickoff to run routes, stretch, and get whatever treatment they need. It seems as though Pickens wasn't too concerned about his pregame routine.

Trubisky started this game for the Steelers, but Pickett came in for the veteran at the start of the second half. Pickens had no way of knowing that the game would end up being the debut of Pickett. Pickett struggled as he threw three interceptions, but two of them seemed to be balls that could have been caught by Chase Claypool. 

Steelers' George Pickens Nearly Missed His First 100-Yard Game

Pickens managed to have his best game as a pro up until that point. He caught six passes for 102 yards, and this was the first 100-yard game of his young career. He caught three passes from each quarterback, but never found the end zone. Pittsburgh's two scores both came off of touchdown runs from Pickett. 

The Steelers would end up losing the game to the Jets by a score of 24-20. It is shocking Pickens was even allowed onto the field during this game, as a receiver showing up 10 minutes before kickoff seems like an action that could result in a benching. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has been pretty relaxed with Pickens so far in his career, despite his occasional questionable actions.

What do you think about Pickens nearly missing a game? Let us know in the comments below!

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