Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver George Pickens cared little for the hype around his matchup with Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II headed into Week 2.
Pickens didn’t care about Surtain’s 4-year, $96 million contract or that he was an NFL All-Pro or 2-time Pro Bowler.
“Just be myself, to be honest. I went up against Pat Surtain in college,” Pickens told Yardbarker’s Aaron Becker in a post on X. “So a lot of this stuff isn’t new for me. … He’s just a good player. … I’m a good player. There’s a lot of good players around the league.”
Calling Surtain good after how he played in a 13-6 loss to the Steelers on Sept. 15 might be a bit of a stretch. He was called for 3 penalties for 50 yards — 2 against Pickens.
Pickens had a touchdown catch and a 50-yard reception on Surtain wiped out by offensive penalties.
“Three penalty flags for 50-plus yards — against a Steelers wide receivers group no one will confuse with Hines Ward, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown? Yes, Surtain is Denver’s best player. And on a roster devoid of star power, with great expectations comes great responsibility,” wrote The Denver Gazette’s Paul Klee. “The Broncos don’t have enough oomph elsewhere to make up for Surtain’s shaky games. His pass-interference penalty on George Pickens was an obvious call and extended a Steelers drive.”
Woah!!! That pass by fields to Pickens?!!! Omg! Taken away by a holding call but my goodness!
Surtain Doesn’t Always Cover Opponent’s WR1
Despite being regarded as one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks — if not the very best — Surtain doesn’t always cover the opponent’s top wide receiver.
For large chunks of his career, he’s stayed put at the left cornerback spot regardless of who was lined up out there — meaning teams could simply put their best wide receiver on the other side of the field.
“When opponents have been given the choice on whether to line their most-targeted and proficient receivers against Surtain — who was chosen as the league’s best cornerback in an ESPN survey of scouts, personnel executives and coaches in July — most playcallers routinely chose against it, leaving Surtain to cover players who are rarely thrown the ball,” wrote ESPN’s Jeff Legwold on Sept. 10.
In Week 1, Surtain was matched up against Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and held him to 3 receptions for 29 yards but was called for 2 penalties — although 1 of them was declined.
Massive Contract Adds Extra Pressure for Surtain
Surtain was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft after earning SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and winning a CFP national championship at Alabama in 2020 — where he squared off against Pickens at Tennessee.
After making 2 Pro Bowls and 1 NFL All-Pro in his first 3 seasons, Surtain cashed in on Sept. 4 with a 4-year, $96 million contract extension with $77.5 million guaranteed — the largest contract for a defensive back in NFL history.
In July, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox named Surtain was one of just 15 true franchise players in the NFL.
“True franchise players are the most indispensable of the NFL’s elite,” Knox wrote. “We’re talking about Hall of Fame-caliber stars who can lift their teams in the biggest games and change outcomes multiple times per seasons. We’re talking about those who can be centerpieces for a decade or more … to qualify, players must be 28 or younger when the regular season begins on September 5 and must still be with the teams that drafted them.”
