George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers held tensions for an extended period of time. More so on the Steelers’ side, they ran out of tolerance for Pickens’ antics and behavior around the locker room.
Rumors swirled for a while until the team traded him weeks ago. On one hand, they finally rid themselves of a lingering distraction. At the same time though the Steelers gave away one of the best young playmakers in the NFL.
Thankfully, they traded for DK Metcalf earlier in the offseason, so there remains some pass-catching prowess on the offense. But Pittsburgh is now back to where they started in January, possessing only one real threat on the outside.
They have clearly done their shopping and exploration of the position throughout the offseason. In addition to those two moves, they expressed interest in New Orleans Saints No. 1 Chris Olave, according to NFL insider Albert Breer.
However, the Saints were not interested in making a deal.
“The Saints got inquiries from the Browns and Steelers early in the offseason, and rebuffed them, and Olave’s had a really nice offseason since. Maybe someone blows New Orleans away with an offer. But he’s not on the block, and I have a hard time thinking he’s going to be traded.”
Olave has three years in the league under his belt. However, Year 3 was significantly hampered with multiple concussion issues.
Like the Steelers, the Saints find themselves in an awkward spot with regard to the quarterback position. More likely than not, neither team has their play caller of their future on the roster as of now.
From the Saints perspective, they may want to get their young star back on the field and carry through a rebuild with Olave being a part of that. Finding a quarterback is hard enough; surrounding him with talent adds more layers to the situation.
Despite their trade of Pickens, the Steelers have a decent starting point with the surrounding talent. A playmaker like Olave would certainly help their cause, but the quarterback position remains the more glaring issue as of now.
