Legendary Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Gives His Take On What Went Wrong With George Pickens In Pittsburgh

It was rather shocking when the Pittsburgh Steelers made the decision to trade wide receiver George Pickens after the 2025 NFL Draft. If a deal was going to commence, many believed it was going to happen early enough for the team to get a little more draft capital at the end of April. Instead, a deal was struck with the Dallas Cowboys shortly after. This has led to plenty of questions without answers, but many assume that the organization knew it would not be re-signing the polarizing pass-catcher in 2026, so it was decided that getting any sort of return at any point was acceptable.

Several individuals throughout the NFL world have given their opinions on the trade, with many questioning the Steelers' motives. The team is now stuck in the same position it was back at the beginning of the 2024 season, but this time around, DK Metcalf is the only true formidable option within the receiving corps. No one is quite sure if the team will make another move in the coming months or not.

Future Hall of Fame quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, spoke about the recent trade on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. He made sure to note that he doesn't have any inside information, but theorized about what could have went wrong for Pickens in the Steel City.

"I wonder, is he a bigger headache than we even know," Roethlisberger asked. "Obviously, we saw last year that there were some issues."

Roethlisberger's point is certainly valid. After the Steelers did not trade Pickens on or before draft weekend, many believed that he would be in Pittsburgh for at least 2025. Instead, the organization made a rare decision to trade him in May.

The now-retired quarterback went on to say that it was a bit odd to deal him in May, but it appears that it could have all transpired that way because the Steelers were not happy with previous conversations that were had with the interested teams.

"The timing did seem a little weird," Roethlisberger stated. "It seemed like they couldn't get much more for him. Maybe that's all that was offered. I mean, it's not like they were like, 'Okay, we're going to send him to Dallas, even though these other offers were better,' or, 'We're going to send him to Dallas because we want him to go to Dallas.' Obviously, that was the best offer they got. So that either speaks on teams not really sure, or being like, 'You know what, we'll wait until next year when he's a free agent.'"

Looking back on the trade, Roethlisberger is under the impression that Pittsburgh's decision-makers were simply fed up with Pickens and how he acted on a day-to-day basis.

"To me, it just seems like the Steelers were over it. I mean, at the end of the day, it feels like that's the biggest thing. They were over it. They weren't willing to go one more year and see what he could do on the field."

The Steelers are no stranger to dealing with problematic wide receivers. Most of the pass-catchers that have caused on the field and locker room drama ended up being traded. Pickens was no exception as General Manager Omar Khan made the decision to move on from him.

Steelers Still Have More Work To Do With Receiving Corps

Regardless of who is playing quarterback for Pittsburgh, the team is arguably no better when it comes to the wide receivers' room than it was a year ago. While it is expected that the offensive unit is going to focus on running the football, a legitimate passing game is necessary in the NFL. With Pickens gone, the locker room may be better off, but the offense undoubtedly got worse when it comes to talent. It will be interesting to see what Khan does to address this issue.

Do you think that the Steelers were simply done with all of the noise surrounding Pickens? Let us know in the comments below!

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