Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger And Kenny Pickett Get Cheeky In Heartwarming New Commercial

The Pittsburgh Steelers turned the offensive reins over to a new quarterback in 2022 for the first time in 18 seasons. Kenny Pickett picked up where Ben Roethlisberger left off as the face of this historical franchise. Now, in a delightfully funny advertisement, Roethlisberger appears to be handing over the reins of a different sort to Pickett.

Roethlisberger was drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round in 2004 out of Miami Ohio. While everyone anticipated that Roethlisberger would become the franchise quarterback, the team did not want to rush him. He began his rookie year behind Charlie Batch and Tommy Maddox. After Batch was injured in the preseason, he moved up to the backup role. After an injury to Maddox early in the season, Roethlisberger found himself going from learning to doing as he became the starter Week 3. 

Even prior to Roethlisberger taking the starting role, he had become a hot commodity in Pittsburgh, everyone wanted a piece of his time. That included advertisers such as #1 Cochran Auto Group. Cochran is one of the biggest car dealership groups in the Western Pennsylvania region and Roethlisberger started doing advertisements and meet-and-greet events during his rookie season. 

Pickett is apparently taking over that role from Roethlisberger as well as the one under center in black and gold. The newest franchise has a lot in common with the previous one. Pickett was drafted in 2022, also in the first round, and like Roethlisberger, the plan was to sit him and allow him to develop. However, the fates had other plans for Pickett and he took over for veteran Mitch Trubisky in Week 4 of 2022. 

Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger And Kenny Pickett Air A Memorable New Commercial Together 

Recently, Cochran released a new commercial that features both Pickett and Roethlisberger. The ad starts out with Roethlisberger asking Pickett about how lucky they are. 

"I know, I can't believe it, it's truly a dream come true," agrees Pickett.

Then Roethlisberger tells him that he understands how he feels because he felt the same way when he first started out. That leads Pickett to ask Roethlisberger if he has any advice he can share with him. 

"I would say have fun and really just savor every moment. After all, not everyone gets to be in a #1 Cochran commercial," advises Roethlisberger.

As he offers this sage piece of wisdom to Pickett, Roethlisberger pulls out a photo of a much younger version of himself and Rob Cochran, the owner of the group. The ad finishes with Roethlisberger coaching from behind the scenes as Pickett finishes the ad, suggesting people visit Cochran in person or online. 

While Pickett might be picking up the reins from Roethlisberger as the most sought-after celebrity endorsement, he has a long way to go before he fills Roethlisberger's sizeable cleats on the field. During his 18 seasons in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger played in 249 games with a completion percentage of 64.4%. He completed 5,440 passes and made 418 touchdowns. Pickett has started 15 games so far and has a completion rating of 62.3%. He has completed 307 passes and made 11 touchdowns. 

The Steelers displayed some struggles starting out with Pickett at quarterback during the 2022 season, but improved as the year went on just narrowly missing the playoffs. Now, three weeks into the 2023 season, the Steelers stand at 2-1 and seem to slowly be improving. Steelers fans everywhere are trying to avoid comparing Pickett to Roethlisberger, but it isn't easy. Everyone in the Steel City is just praying Pickett's breakout year happens soon. 

What do you think about a young Pickett as compared to a young Roethlisberger? How do you think Pickett is performing as the Steelers starting quarterback so far? Click to comment below.

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