Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is set to make his NFL regular season debut next week in his new job with NBC Sports. He’s getting in plenty of media spots to be prepared.
On Thursday, Tomlin appeared on two different prominent sports talk shows. One of those was The Rich Eisen Show.
The show’s host mentioned ex-Steelers wide receiver George Pickens will play in Tomlin’s first Sunday night game with NBC. Eisen took advantage of that fact to ask Tomlin about the Steelers trading Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys last offseason.
Tomlin delivered a pretty direct answer.
“If they’re developing in the right ways, if they fit your long-range plans, then you do second contract business with them. It didn’t happen for us with [Pickens],” Tomlin said. “But it doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not gonna be a spectacular player.
“I think he’s already proven that to a certain degree with his first year in Dallas. But there’s also been something that’s stopped Dallas from making that long-term commitment to him as well.
“I think he still has something to prove.”
Tomlin added fans should be ready for Pickens to do something special because he’s “extremely talented.” Eisen then followed up asking the ex-head coach what Pickens still had to prove.
Tomlin didn’t want to speak for the Cowboys. But the Super Bowl-winning coach shared why he didn’t want to offer Pickens a second contract.
“For us, I just thought, it’s not only play. It’s development in other areas, intangible areas. I think when you’re a high dollar, second-contract guy. I think there’s some leadership responsibilities, and things of that nature,” said Tomlin. “I just don’t feel like that was in his natural wheelhouse.
“We felt better about [Metcalf’s] abilities in those areas.”
Mike Tomlin Answers Why Steelers Traded George Pickens
Few Steelers pundits are going to disagree with his take on Pickens.
Most Steelers insiders were against the team signing star receiver to a long-term extension. Tomlin didn’t say this, but most believe because the team was unwilling to offer Pickens an extension, they had no choice but to trade him before the 2025 campaign.
Last summer, Pickens was entering a contract season. Most expected the receiver to push for a new deal before the campaign. It’s not clear how the situation would have transpired had the Steelers kept Pickens and not offered him a long-term deal.
Of course, that’s happened this offseason in Dallas for Pickens. The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on the wideout, and yet, he didn’t make any issue of his contract this summer. There’s no guarantee, though, Pickens would have taken the same approach in Pittsburgh.
Pickens flourished in Dallas last season, which could be why the receiver hasn’t made a bigger stink of playing on the tag. He’s happier and could be due for another huge season, which will only lead to a bigger deal in the spring.
During his first season with the Cowboys, Pickens posted 93 catches, 1,429 receiving yards and nine touchdowns, all of which were new career highs.
Steelers May Have Miscalculated DK Metcalf’s Immaturity
Tomlin did an excellent job Thursday conveying the Steelers thought process behind the Pickens trade. It was an example of why so many fans see him having a great career as a broadcaster.
However, there’s an obvious flaw in Tomlin’s logic — DK Metcalf might not be the best leader either.
Metcalf committed one of the most selfish acts in a Steelers uniform in recent memory last season when he engaged in an altercation with a Detroit Lions fan in Week 16. There was a wide debate about what was said that cause Metcalf to react that way, but as a professional football player, Metcalf didn’t have a right to engage with the fan at all.
He sat out the final two regular season games because of a suspension, which nearly derailed the Steelers entire season. The Steelers lost to the lowly Cleveland Browns the following week and sneaked by the Baltimore Ravens for the division title the following week thanks to a last-second missed field goal.
Pickens has displayed plenty of immaturity. But he’s never had a similar altercation with a fan.
In conclusion, Tomlin’s logic behind the Pickens trade made perfect sense. The man the Steelers chose to replace him, though, at least with one moment last season, left something to be desired.
Mike Tomlin Spills Truth on George Pickens Trade