PITTSBURGH -- Echoing the words of his head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II said talented but mercurial wide receiver George Pickens has "room to grow."

"George is a very talented player who has room to grow," Rooney said Monday during his end-of-season news conference. "And we'd like to see him grow, and hopefully he realizes the potential that he has, but there's definitely room for growth there."

Two weeks earlier, coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged Pickens had done some growing during the 2024 season, but there was "a heck of a lot more ground to be covered."

Though he missed three games with a hamstring injury, Pickens finished the regular season with 900 yards on 59 catches and scored three touchdowns. The 2022 second-round pick also had two games with at least 100 receiving yards, but he averaged a career-low 15.3 yards per reception.

Between bursts of productivity and highlight-reel catches, Pickens' third season with the Steelers included a series of on-and-off the field incidents. Not only did he draw Tomlin's ire after being flagged for two unsportsmanlike penalties in a December victory against the Bengals, Pickens also arrived at Acrisure Stadium less than 90 minutes before kickoff of the Christmas Day game against the Chiefs.

"Every team seems to have one or two guys in that room that are -- you have to manage them correctly," Rooney said. "I still think George has enough talent that we've got to try to work and see if we can get him to reach his, fulfill the talent that he really has. Who knows if we can get there, we'll see.

"But when you have guys that are as talented as some of the guys you're probably thinking of, you try to work with them and have them help you be successful."

Pickens is set to enter the final year of his contract in 2025, but Rooney said the organization hasn't started talking about extending the wide receiver yet. The Steelers typically don't negotiate contracts in-season.