Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens has not exactly been the epitome of stoicism this season, and that has not been lost on head coach Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin was seen having a conversation with Pickens on the sideline during the Steelers’ loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night, and while he wouldn’t share the details of the conversation during his Monday press conference, he did say that he wished Pickens would handle his in-game frustrations a bit differently.
“It’s a problem because it’s not solution-oriented,” Tomlin said of Pickens’ antics the past several weeks, via the Steelers’ official YouTube account. “You know we are all frustrated, but we got to manage our frustrations in a professional, mature way. When it’s not done that way, it’s not necessarily pushing us to solutions.”
Earlier in the season, Pickens took to social media to post “Free Me” after catching just two passes in a win over the Tennessee Titans. Clearly, the wide out is displeased with his role, but his public outbursts have not done him or the Steelers any favors.
Pickens logged five catches for 19 yards against the Patriots.
On the season overall, the 22-year-old has totaled 49 catches for 767 yards and three touchdowns.
George Pickens, who played his collegiate football at the University of Georgia, was selected by Pittsburgh in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He had an impressive rookie campaign, playing in every game and hauling in 52 receptions for 801 yards and four scores.
The Steelers have hit a bit of a rough patch, having lost two straight games to awful teams in the Arizona Cardinals and then New England.
Pittsburgh is now 7-6 on the season and will look to get back on track when it takes on the Indianapolis Colts next Saturday.
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