Mike Florio Heavily Questions Steelers Decision to Pay DK Metcalf Over George Pickens

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the toughest teams in the NFL to evaluate throughout the year. On the surface, the Steelers are in first place in the tough AFC North. 

That's a big part of why we should still view much of their season as a success. 

However, with an older quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, it's also fair to suggest that at times, this team hasn't looked great. That's without factoring in that the defense has been one of the worst in the NFL, despite playing a bit better over the past few weeks. 

One intriguing part is DK Metcalf not being the star that the Steelers were hoping for. It might be tough to blame Metcalf for all of his struggles, as the Steelers' offense typically isn't much to write home about. 

Still, with 551 yards on 37 receptions, Metcalf was expected to be a bit better than he currently is. 

For some, including Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, that's a big talking point this year. He brought up the idea of George Pickens being traded, and him essentially turning into what the Steelers thought Metcalf could be in Pittsburgh. 

“That’s not on Metcalf. The money suggested the Steelers would be committed to doing what the Seahawks didn’t do with Metcalf — get the ball in his hands far more often than they did. So far, the Steelers haven’t used Metcalf as much as the trade and contract hinted they would.

“Complicating the situation is the Steelers’ decision to trade receiver George Pickens to the Cowboys. Pickens, who has 58 catches for 908 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 games, hasn’t suddenly unlocked a new well of talent. The talent had always been there. The Steelers failed to use it... Everyone is now seeing what Pickens can do. Steelers fans fairly should be wondering whether the contract that went to Metcalf should have gone to Pickens,” he wrote.

It's tough to bring these things up after they happen, but it isn't unfair in some sense. 

The Steelers moved on from Pickens in a deal due to them thinking that he was a locker room cancer, and all he’s proven over the past few months is that he's arguably one of the top 10 wide receivers in the NFL.