Jets May Have Dodged A Bullet With George Pickens Whiff

The Jets whiffed on a trade for George Pickens.

Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens (14) reacts after making a catch against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The New York Jets clearly need to add a wide receiver this season. They have Garrett Wilson, but after that, it's not much to call home about. For a while, there were rumors that New York could swing a trade to reunite Justin Fields with his former teammate George Pickens of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But Pickens recently landed with the Dallas Cowboys in a deal that costed the Cowboys a third round pick and then some.

While this may seem like a swing and a miss for the Jets, it could turn into a blessing in disguise.

Let's take a look at some Mike Tomlin-era wide receivers who were traded away from the Steelers, specifically for behavioral issues.

Martavious Bryant spent three seasons with Pittsburgh, recording 126 catches for 1,917 yards and 17 touchdowns in 36 games. After being traded from Pittsburgh, he appeared in eight games for the Oakland Raiders before his career ended due to off the field issues.

Antonio Brown was a similar case, putting together a Hall-of-Fame-esque career in Pittsburgh before being traded away and falling apart. Chase Claypool was solid in Pittsburgh, but fell off dramatically after being traded. The same can be said for Diontae Johnson as well.

The moral of the story is that you may want to proceed with caution if Tomlin is selling a wide receiver, especially one with behavioral issues. If Tomlin can't keep them in check, it's tough to imagine anybody will.

The Jets may have dodged a bullet.

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