The Pittsburgh Steelers' experiment with Kenny Pickett is over. Omar Khan and Mike Tomlin have gutted the 2023 quarterback room. They released Mitch Trubisky, declined to pursue Mason Rudolph in free agency, and now have sent their 2022 first-round draft pick to the Philadelphia Eagles. Khan has wholeheartedly embraced the NFL's chaotic environment like no Steelers executive before.
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Steelers' former first-round draft choice Kenny Pickett was uncomfortable sitting on the bench in 2024.
Pickett was supposed to compete against Russell Wilson for the starting quarterback job in 2024. After seeing Tomlin's definition of a quarterback competition up close in his rookie season, the former Pitt Panthers star might have been a little reluctant to participate in another. The 2022 competition was heavily tilted toward Pickett, and with the arrival of the presumed front-runner Wilson, Aditi Kinkhabwala from CBS Sports has floated the idea that he may have had his fill of the organization after being told news about the starting job.
NOTE: “preferred” is not bc Kenny Pickett is running away from competition. He was explicitly told by the #Steelers Wilson would start, reneging on the pledge he’d been given that after two years of chaos, he’d finally be put in position to succeed - per sources apprised of convo https://t.co/wwIIVrmFBM
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 15, 2024
Kinkhabwala has been a vocal proponent of Pickett's ability and that the dysfunction of the Steelers' offense under Matt Canada hurt his development. There is an element of truth in her observation, but the reality is that Pickett has thrown 13 touchdown passes in 25 games and seemed to regress in his second year. If Wilson was anointed the starter and it was made clear to Pickett that it was a competition in name only, it is not surprising that he requested to move on.
I myself had convos w/ an offensive-minded HC this week who said he’d “take Kenny Pickett in a second and win w/ him” and w/ a front office exec who, via text, called him an “NFL starter WITH upside.” Could the #Steelers have sent the QB to a place he’d have a chance to start? https://t.co/NfShSkPkcy
— Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 15, 2024
With a few notable exceptions, most of the NFL is searching for competent quarterback play wherever it can be found. Kinkhabwala reported before the Steelers signed Wilson that four Steelers coaches at the 2024 NFL Combine were taking Pickett's disparagement as a personal challenge. It strains credulity that they could be so strongly in his corner at the combine and ultimately out on him by the end of the first week of free agency.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Kenny Pickett will have to start over with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Steelers Trade Of Kenny Pickett Does Not Have To Be The End Of His Story
The trade to the Eagles does not have to end his tenure as a starter in the NFL. Pickett is not without his merits, and in the right situation, he could be more productive than he has shown in his career thus far. He was at the top of one of the worst quarterback classes in recent memory and will be forced to compete for a backup job in Philadelphia.
Steelers.com
Steelers' then-rookie Kenny Pickett traveling from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia for a road game.
He now joins Desmond Ridder from the Atlanta Falcons and Sam Howell from the Washington Commanders in being traded just two years into their rookie deals. Ridder will backup Kyler Murray for the Arizona Cardinals, and Pickett will back up Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. Howell will likely backup Geno Smith for the Seattle Seahawks, but based on his performance in 2023, he probably has the best chance to compete for a starting job. Brock Purdy is the only current quarterback from the 2022 draft class who is a starter, and he was the last quarterback drafted in the entire class.
The hometown boy did not make good this time. Pickett's tenure in Pittsburgh is at an end. The question is if it is the end of his NFL story. Kinkhabwala doesn't think so, and if you are a fan of her work, let's hope she is right.
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