I think the point is that he was traded from his last team because of behavior. We got one season of good behavior and we can see how he behaves having to play on the tag. If he is discontented and it shows on the field, then we move on next year. If he soldiers on and plays like he did last year, keeping his behavior under control, we give him a long-term deal.
We only have until July 15 to sign him if he's tagged, then it's locked in and both the player and team have to live with it. I'd prefer that we wait a year with a player who his last team gave up on because of behavior, not because of ability. If Pickens balks at it, then he may just be what Pittsburgh thought he was.