When the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to move on from George Pickens, it didn't really make a whole lot of sense. Pickens, undoubtedly one of the better wide receivers in the NFL, had a ton of talent.
Some off-the-field problems were evident during his time with the organization, but in terms of flat-out talent, there aren't many players in the NFL better than Pickens. When you factor in that he's only 25 years old and turned 25 in March, the trade truly didn't make much sense in terms of the pure player.
However, when speaking to reporters about why it happened, former head coach Mike Tomlin had a lot to say, and it wasn't really because of any attitude issues.
"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. And I just don't feel like that was in his natural wheelhouse. We felt better about DK's abilities in those areas."
"[A second contract] didn't happen for us with George," Tomlin said, per SB Nation. "But that doesn't necessarily mean that he's not gonna be a spectacular player. I think he's already proven that to a degree with his first year in Dallas. But there's also been something that stopped Dallas from making that long-term commitment to him, as well…"
It definitely does feel like Pickens and Tomlin didn't have the best relationship, but that was relatively well known. However, Tomlin's comment that the Dallas Cowboys didn't want to pay him either seems like a shot at him.
It's interesting that whatever happened led to a trade, since it obviously wasn't the right decision from a player standpoint, but Tomlin has been very outspoken in the past about wanting guys who buy in, and Pickens clearly wasn't doing that.
Tomlin had made decisions in the past that not everyone agreed with. Some fans even grew frustrated with him because of the fact that he always wanted things to be his way.
It often worked, but it's something to look back on with stuff like this.
