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HOF WR Thinks George Pickens Needs Veteran Mentor
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- HOF WR Thinks George Pickens Needs Veteran Mentor
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens at practice on Dec. 4, 2024. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter recently said on Up & Adams with Kay Adams that the Pittsburgh Steelers need to bolster their wide receiver corps if they want to upgrade the quarterback position. He also added that a veteran wide receiver in the locker room would be beneficial to George Pickens , who has showcased countless acts of immaturity in his first three years in Pittsburgh.
Other than Diontae Johnson (who also lacked maturity), Pickens has never had a veteran wide receiver to help guide him.
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"You need to get another veteran receiver with (Pickens) like DeAndre Hopkins , Amari Cooper . Guys who have really established themselves not only as consistent wide receivers, but they have been great role models," Carter said. "He is a tremendous talent, but he has lapses where he does not make an impact on the game in a positive way. His overall body language — Warren Moon taught me this, 'Hey man, if you give me that bad body language, I'll bury in this offense. You'll never get the ball.'
"Unless you get a veteran quarterback or someone they respect, you can keep those antics. A lot of receivers have done it through the years. It does not help the quarterback, it does not help the team, it does not help the coaching staff. So the longer they allow those type of things to go on, especially when you have average quarterback play that the receivers could complain about. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a couple of problems at a couple of different positions, and it's not because of a lack of talent. It's because of a lack of overall discipline and lack of overall commitment to the program of what they're trying to do."
Steelers president Art Rooney II revealed during his season-ending press conference last month that they haven't had discussions about extending Pickens' contract yet . George Pickens is heading into the final year on his rookie deal, but the first three years have been tumultuous due to a series of outbursts and immature behavior from the Georgia product.
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The 23-year-old has been fined on many occasions and a recent report revealed he arrived late to the Steelers Christmas day game against the Kansas City Chiefs .
Rooney believes there's certainly room for growth with Pickens.
"Look, George is a very talented player, who has room to grow," Rooney said . "We will would like to see him grow, and hopefully he realizes the potential that he has. But, there's definitely room for growth there."
Rooney believes character issues with wide receivers is a common theme across the league. It's not just a problem in Pittsburgh.
"I think every team seems to have one or two guys in that room that you have to manage correctly," Rooney said. "I still think George has enough talent that we've got to try to work and see if we can get him to reach and fulfill the talent that he really has. Who knows if we can get there. We'll see. When you have guys that are as talented as some of the guys you're probably thinking of, you try to work with them and have help them help you be successful."
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