George Pickens takes a line from the Marshawn Lynch playbook shows up for media availability ‘so he won’t get fined’

Pittsburgh Steelers WR George Pickens had his Marshawn Lynch moment on Friday, giving reporters a media session to remember—or forget, depending on how you see it.

Channeling Lynch’s famous “I’m just here so I won’t get fined” line, the Steelers wide receiver dropped the phrase multiple times when pressed for answers, dodging questions like a cornerback in one-on-one coverage.

George Pickens: “I’m just here so I won’t get fined”

George Pickens opted to go the Marshawn Lynch route about any question related to the scuffle at the end of the Browns game and on one about how to improve the red zone offense.

He also said Cincinnati had a “potent” offense. pic.twitter.com/SodO4LFePb

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) November 29, 2024

Pickens didn’t just borrow Lynch’s playbook; he stuck to the script with almost comical precision. When asked about last week’s scuffle with Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II, he refused to offer any insight.

Fair enough—no one’s expecting a glowing post-fight review. But the Georgia product took the stonewalling to another level, recycling the same response even for unrelated topics. At this point, you can practically hear Mike Tomlin sighing in frustration.

This isn’t exactly new behavior from Pickens, though. The sophomore receiver has been something of a headline machine this season, but not always for the right reasons.

Just last week, he made waves by blaming the Steelers’ loss to Cleveland not on the Browns’ performance but on the weather, going so far as to say, “I don’t really think the Cleveland Browns are a good team at all.” That’s a bold take after a 24-19 loss, especially when it comes with a side of on-field drama.

Speaking of drama, the fight in question was classic late-game frustration boiled over. With the Steelers’ Hail Mary falling incomplete, George Pickens and Newsome got tangled up in a scuffle that spilled into the end zone, dragging teammates and staff into the fray to separate them. It wasn’t a good look for anyone involved, and Pickens’ silence after the fact did little to defuse the situation.

Pickens clearly doesn’t enjoy dealing with the media, but his Lynch-esque deflection strategy only adds fuel to the fire. Do I actually care if Pickens or any NFL player gives a meaningless interview to the media? Absolutely not. Should they do it for fans that do care? Maybe but I still lean more on “let’s make the dorks in the media as upset as possible and don’t give them anything to work with” side of things.

I’m a big Marshawn Lynch guy too but I will say, I wish these younger guys just found something more original to do instead of taking his lines or touchdown celebrations.

Blaze your own path, ya know?

WATCH: Jameson Williams channels inner-Marshawn Lynch with signature touchdown celebration against the Jaguars

George Pickens is a guy who’s quickly becoming one of the league’s most polarizing young talents. Leaning into this kind of narrative risks turning a simple media obligation into an unnecessary distraction which Steelers’ head coach Tomlin is almost certainly cringing about every time Pickens steps in front of a microphone.

George Pickens is BEGGING for a trip to Quinyonamo Bay on December 15th

I need to circle December 15th on my calendar so I remember when Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell put George Pickens in JAIL at Lincoln Financial Field when the Steelers come to town to play the Birds.

Pickens, desperately trying to be a classic WR Diva, is going to throw the biggest hissy fit when he reels in just 3 receptions for 21 yards against a young and way more talented Eagles defense.

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