NFL fans react to Mike Tomlin's comments on George Pickens reportedly being late to Christmas game - "He’s lying his a** off"

Mike Tomlin has had his fair share of dealing with "diva" wide receivers during his time as the Pittsburgh Steelers coach: Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool. Now he has to contend with George Pickens, and his latest comments may have only exacerbated the issue.

On Tuesday, The Athletic reported that the three-season player had arrived late to the Christmas game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which the Steelers lost 29-10. Pickens was a particular sore point that afternoon, covering just 50 yards on three catches.

When asked about it later that day, Mike Tomlin didn't comprehensively address it:

“I really don’t know if I have an answer to that. I have a lot going on pregame. I can’t answer that definitively.”

It only led to popular outrage, with one tweeting:

"You're the head coach. Accountable for every aspect of your team on game days, and you're unsure if he was late or not?! He's lying his a** off."

There were more reactions from fans:

"This is such an insane answer. Why does he think this is an acceptable response to a legitimate question?," one groaned.

"So he’s playing dumb or has no (expletive) clue what’s going on with his team lmao," another thought.

"Do the steelers need a HC with such a poor memory recall?," another wondered.

Pickens, who finished with 58 receptions for 900 yards and three touchdowns, will enter the final year of his contract next season. When asked about a potential extension, Tomlin said that it was too early but noted that “there’s certainly obviously more room for growth there.”

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Mike Tomlin still undecided on Steelers' quarterback situation

Sticking to the topic on players, Mike Tomlin also revealed another area where he was uncertain: the Steelers' starting quarterback in 2025.

Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will be free agents when the new league year begins on March 12, which leaves the organization with a major problem that not even the Draft might address: They have the 21st overall pick, among others, but top prospects like Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders will have been off the board by then.

When asked about it, Mike Tomlin said:

“We are certainly open to considering those guys, but we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

In 10 games, including six starts, Fields completed 106 attempts for 1,106 yards and five touchdowns against an interception, as well as 289 additional yards and five touchdowns on 62 caries. Wilson, meanwhile, completed 336 for 2,482 and 16 against five and rushed 43 times for 155 yards - a career-low - and two scores.