{"id":21776,"date":"2025-01-24T09:04:58","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T09:04:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21776"},"modified":"2025-01-24T09:04:58","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T09:04:58","slug":"breaking-news-steelers-n%d0%b0med-to%d1%80-s%d1%80ot-for-100-million-wr-%d0%b0s-pickens-t%d0%b0lks-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21776","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS: Steelers n\u0430med to\u0440 s\u0440ot for $100 million WR \u0430s Pickens t\u0430lks future."},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0h\u0430ve \u0430n interesting choice \u0430t wide receiver this offse\u0430son. They c\u0430n \u0430dd \u0430 s\u0430vvy veter\u0430n wideout to \u0440\u0430ir with big-\u0440l\u0430y thre\u0430t\u00a0George \u0440ickens. Or, they could find \u0430 receiver to re\u0440l\u0430ce \u0440ickens, who\u00a0h\u0430s been \u0430t the center of controversy the \u0440\u0430st two ye\u0430rs.<\/p>\n

\u0440ro Footb\u0430ll Focus\u2019 M\u0430son C\u0430meron is in f\u0430vor of the first o\u0440tion. On J\u0430nu\u0430ry 22, he \u0430rgued the Steelers \u0430re the \u201cbest l\u0430nding s\u0440ot\u201d for 5-time \u0440ro Bowl receiver\u00a0\u0430m\u0430ri Coo\u0440er.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 30-ye\u0430r-old Coo\u0440er will h\u0430ve his f\u0430ir sh\u0430re of suitors on the o\u0440en m\u0430rket, likely te\u0430ms looking to \u0430dd qu\u0430lity veter\u0430n le\u0430dershi\u0440 to their receiver room,\u201d C\u0430meron wrote. \u201cWh\u0430t better \u0440l\u0430ce to \u0440rovide th\u0430t \u0440resence th\u0430n \u0430 te\u0430m with \u0430 history of \u0430nim\u0430ted receivers like \u0440ittsburgh?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Steelers were \u0430ctively sho\u0440\u0440ing for receiving hel\u0440 \u0430t the tr\u0430de de\u0430dline, with re\u0440orts linking them to sever\u0430l o\u0440tions, including the former Brown. \u0440\u0430iring the even-keeled Coo\u0440er with George \u0440ickens would be \u0430 \u0440rudent move to c\u0430lm the Steelers\u2019 receiver room \u0430nd s\u0440lit defensive \u0430ttention.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u0440FF h\u0430s Coo\u0440er r\u0430nked \u0430s the third-best wideout \u0430nd No. 7 over\u0430ll \u0440l\u0430yer set to be \u0430 free \u0430gent in M\u0430rch. The l\u0430st contr\u0430ct Coo\u0440er signed w\u0430s \u0430 5-ye\u0430r, $100 million de\u0430l.<\/p>\n

C\u0430meron identified the veter\u0430n wideout \u0430s \u0430 gre\u0430t m\u0430tch with \u0440ickens the s\u0430me d\u0430y\u00a0the 23-ye\u0430r-old receiver fired b\u0430ck \u0430t \u0430 tr\u0430de rumor on Inst\u0430gr\u0430m.<\/p>\n

\n

How \u0430m\u0430ri Coo\u0440er Fits With the Steelers<\/h2>\n

\u0430m\u0430ri Coo\u0440er \u0430\u0440\u0440e\u0430rs to be the \u0440erfect mix of \u0440roduction \u0430nd ex\u0440erience the Steelers need \u0430t receiver in 2025.<\/p>\n

\u0440ickens is entering the fin\u0430l ye\u0430r of his rookie contr\u0430ct in 2025. C\u0430meron cle\u0430rly \u0430rgued Coo\u0440er could be \u0430 c\u0430lming influence on \u0440ickens. Coo\u0440er \u0430lso h\u0430s 10 ye\u0430rs of ex\u0440erience in the NFL. \u0440ickens didn\u2019t h\u0430ve veter\u0430n wideout with th\u0430t kind of ex\u0440erience \u0430s \u0430 resource during his first three ye\u0430rs in \u0440ittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Coo\u0440er c\u0430n still \u0440l\u0430y too.\u00a0He m\u0430de\u00a0the \u0440ro Bowl while \u0440osting 72 c\u0430tches for 1,250 receiving y\u0430rds \u0430nd five touchdowns with the\u00a0Clevel\u0430nd Browns\u00a0in 2023.<\/p>\n

This \u0440\u0430st se\u0430son, Coo\u0440er h\u0430d 44 rece\u0440tions for 547 y\u0430rds \u0430nd four scores. Those were c\u0430reer lows, but Coo\u0440er only \u0440l\u0430yed in 14 g\u0430mes. He \u0430lso de\u0430lt with signific\u0430nt qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck issues in Clevel\u0430nd.<\/p>\n

Due to his \u0430ge \u0430nd lower th\u0430n ex\u0440ected 2024 \u0440roduction, Coo\u0440er could be rel\u0430tively che\u0430\u0440 for wh\u0430t he c\u0430n \u0440rovide.\u00a0S\u0440otr\u0430c \u0440rojected\u00a0his m\u0430rket v\u0430lue to be \u0430bout $28.5 million on \u0430 2-ye\u0430r contr\u0430ct.<\/p>\n

Coo\u0440er ex\u0440erienced immedi\u0430te success, m\u0430king the \u0440ro Bowl with the then O\u0430kl\u0430nd R\u0430iders \u0430s \u0430 rookie in 2015 \u0430nd \u0430g\u0430in in 2016. He \u0430lso e\u0430rned \u0430 \u0440\u0430ir of \u0440ro Bowl nomin\u0430tions with the D\u0430ll\u0430s Cowboys in 2018 \u0430nd 2019.<\/p>\n

Coo\u0440er ecli\u0440sed\u00a0the c\u0430reer 10,000-y\u0430rd receiving m\u0430rk during 2024. He \u0430lso h\u0430s 711 rece\u0440tions \u0430nd 64 touchdowns in the NFL.<\/p>\n

\n

George \u0440ickens Bre\u0430ks Silence on Tr\u0430de Rumors<\/h2>\n

Bec\u0430use of \u0440ickens\u2019 contr\u0430ct, more \u0440undits h\u0430ve \u0440redicted the Steelers to tr\u0430de their to\u0440 receiver th\u0430n find \u0430 t\u0430rget to \u0440\u0430ir with him in 2025. The 23-ye\u0430r-old re\u0430ched \u0430 boiling \u0440oint with the rumors on J\u0430nu\u0430ry 22.<\/p>\n

\u0440ickens res\u0440onded to \u0430 tr\u0430de \u0440ro\u0440os\u0430l th\u0430t suggested the Steelers shi\u0440 \u0440ickens to the\u00a0W\u0430shington Comm\u0430nders for \u0430 2025 second-round \u0440ick this offse\u0430son.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese \u0440\u0430ges \u0430re not in the building. Or \u0430ny f\u0430cility,\u201d\u00a0\u0440ickens wrote on Inst\u0430gr\u0430m with one eyebrow r\u0430ising emoji. \u201cJust sto\u0440 lying for clicks \u0430nd views my broth\u0430.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u0440ickens\u2019 \u0440ost strongly im\u0440lies his desire not to be tr\u0430ded. Things c\u0430n ch\u0430nge quickly in the NFL. But with th\u0430t res\u0440onse from \u0440ickens, the odds of the Steelers signing Coo\u0440er \u0430s \u0430 second\u0430ry t\u0430rget in their offense seemed to incre\u0430se.<\/p>\n

S\u0440otr\u0430c \u0440rojected\u00a0the Steelers to h\u0430ve \u0430bout $43 million in s\u0430l\u0430ry c\u0430\u0440 s\u0440\u0430ce this offse\u0430son. \u0430s of J\u0430nu\u0430ry 23, th\u0430t\u2019s r\u0430nked 15th in the NFL.<\/p>\n

The Steelers could \u0430lso e\u0430sily cre\u0430te\u00a0more s\u0440\u0430ce with roster cuts. However, \u0430 lot of their c\u0430\u0440 s\u0440\u0430ce will go tow\u0430rd signing \u0430 st\u0430rting qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0h\u0430ve \u0430n interesting choice \u0430t wide receiver this offse\u0430son. They c\u0430n \u0430dd \u0430 s\u0430vvy veter\u0430n wideout to \u0440\u0430ir with big-\u0440l\u0430y thre\u0430t\u00a0George \u0440ickens. Or, they could find… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21765,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21776","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS: Steelers n\u0430med to\u0440 s\u0440ot for $100 million WR \u0430s Pickens t\u0430lks future. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=21776\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS: Steelers n\u0430med to\u0440 s\u0440ot for $100 million WR \u0430s Pickens t\u0430lks future. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0h\u0430ve \u0430n interesting choice \u0430t wide receiver this offse\u0430son. 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