Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver George Pickens made headlines when he spoke candidly on a podcast with Emmanuel Acho a few months ago. During the conversation, Pickens addressed why his stats might not match those of other top receivers, attributing it to Pittsburgh’s system not being as wide-receiver-friendly as others.
In doing so, he mentioned Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, referring to him as a “slot merchant” while explaining how certain systems are designed to feed specific players. Although Pickens didn’t intend it as a direct jab, the media latched onto his comments, sparking a wave of debate and speculation.
St. Brown quickly responded as the comments went viral, addressing the situation with class. St. Brown clarified that he didn’t take Pickens’ words as a diss, understanding that the Steelers’ receiver was merely making a broader point about offensive systems. St. Brown dismissed any notion of bad blood, diffusing the narrative before it could escalate further. However, the incident gained significant attention among fans, keeping the comments in the spotlight.
“I feel like a lot of people just saw the clip and just saw the short part of it, but I don’t think he meant anything bad,” St. Brown explained. “I feel like he was just saying that if you have a good offensive coordinator, which we do have — Ben’s [Johnson] great, he’s special at what he does, he’s able to get guys in spots to make plays, so that’s a credit to Ben and everyone on that staff. But, like I said, I don’t think [Pickens] meant any malintent, he’s just saying with a good offensive coordinator, you make plays.”
Fast forward to Wednesday, and St. Brown appears to be capitalizing on the viral moment. The Lions star is set to release new merchandise, which some fans speculate is inspired by Pickens’ bold words.