There’s a good chance the Green Bay Packers’ search for a top receiver may end this weekend. The NFL Draft is converging in Green Bay and while the Packers may not find an instant impact receiver with the 23rd overall pick, they could be active in the trade market as they look to move one of their eight selections.
The speculation has already begun with one notable name on the block. His actions on Thursday may have sealed his fate hours before the draft and it could be a sign that he is on his way to joining the Packers.
George Pickens Unfollows the Steelers on Instagram
According to FOX Sports’s Jordan Schultz, the Pittsburgh Steelers are taking and making calls inquiring about wide receiver George Pickens. While the speculation is intensifying in the hours leading up to the draft, Pickens threw gas onto the fire by unfollowing the Steelers on his Instagram account.
George Pickens has unfollowed the #Steelers on IG…. https://t.co/Hqn5S6RDVL pic.twitter.com/VrII6q4XaJ
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 24, 2025
Schultz’s report stems from speculation the Steelers may not want to pay Pickens after trading for DK Metcalf earlier this offseason. With Metcalf signing a four-year, $131.9 million contract extension, Pittsburgh may be skeptical about paying two receivers and could look to move on from Pickens during the draft.
Pickens would fill the Packers need for a top receiver, catching 174 passes for 2,841 yards and 12 touchdowns in his first three seasons. Pickens also caught 63 passes for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns during the 2023 season but his stats have been suppressed thanks to the conservative Steelers’ offense under Mike Tomlin and uncertainty at the quarterback position.
Schultz adds that Pickens “is more available than people think” and mentioned the Packers having “serious interest” in the 24-year-old. The interest makes sense as Christian Watson is recovering from a torn ACL suffered last December and Romeo Doubs enters the final year of his rookie contract after suffering a pair of concussions last season.
For now, Pickens’s arrival in Green Bay is just a rumor. But it makes sense for both sides to make a deal happen.