In what is a great sight to see, the Carolina Panthers have been very busy early on in free agency. The team has inked several deals with players and owner David Tepper is spending some money to improve the roster for 2025.
While that’s all well and good, the Panthers have yet to address one of their biggest needs, which comes at wide receiver. The Panthers desperately need a true No. 1 target for quarterback Bryce Young, who managed to revive his stock in 2024.
In a recent article naming trades he wants to see, Sportsnaut’s Matt Johnson implores the Panthers to strike a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers for wide receiver George Pickens.
In the proposed trade, Johnson has the Panthers sending the Steelers their third-round pick in exchange for Pickens.
“Instead, Pittsburgh can flip him to a receiver-needy team like the Carolina Panthers,” Johnson wrote. “There’s not a wide receiver worth the 8th overall pick and Pickens, for as volatile as he is, is a playmaker. Carolina could use its first- and second-round picks to rebuild the defense, while giving Pickens a shot to be WR1 in Dave Canales’ offense before pursuing a new contract next year.”
Trade speculation has been swirling around Pickens since last year, when he ran into on- and off-the-field issues that included him getting into fights on the field and being late to a game. That speculation has only ramped up since the Steelers pulled off a blockbuster trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf.
The problem with the trade speculation is that it wouldn’t make much sense for Pittsburgh to trade the young budding star wide receiver, as it would leave the team in the same boat it just climbed out of. Before the Metcalf trade, the Steelers’ search for a wide receiver upgrade spanned an entire year following the Diontae Johnson trade with Carolina.
That said, the Panthers should have interest in the former second-round pick if he’s made available.
Yes, he’s a risky add because of his behavioral issues and the Panthers have been down this road before with another Steelers wideout, but there’s no denying Pickens’ talent and ability to provide a massive upgrade at wide receiver in Carolina.
Pickens can truly do it all. He has an insane catch radius and is a threat to make plays at any level of the field, including deep, where he’s made several highlight catches during his career. He would immediately step into the No. 1 role in Carolina.
Pickens is entering the final year of his deal in 2025, which is one more reason why the Steelers could part with him. Carolina could bring him in and extend him, or the team could let the Georgia product play out his final year and see how things go.
If Pickens pans out, the Panthers can extend him in 2026. If he does not, they can cut ties next year, either by letting him walk in free agency or tagging and trading him.
