PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A lot will be said about Kenny Pickett and already has been. He is gone from Pittsburgh for one reason—the Steelers deemed wasn’t good enough to be a franchise quarterback for them.
Was he unhappy when he didn’t immediately return as the starter this past season when cleared to play? Yes. He pouted more than he should have. He could have handled that better.
Did Pickett go to the Steelers to request a trade after Russell Wilson announced he was coming to Pittsburgh? I believe that he did. He wants a chance to prove himself. I don’t believe, through everything we’ve seen from him in eight years here, that he claimed he wouldn’t play. Or that he would leave the team or any of the extreme talk that is out there.
He didn’t want to be here anymore and the Steelers didn’t want him either. The team promised that he would start at the end of last season. Mike Tomlin may have genuinely believed it at the time, but as the offseason went on they decided it was time for a change. Pickett wants a chance to play and like Mason Rudolph, wanted to do that elsewhere. For Pickett to leave, he had to request it.
It was a quick marriage and time for a quick divorce.
Did Pickett have everything he needed around him? No, he had a rookie offensive coordinator that probably should never have coached in the NFL. He had a head coach who would only allow him to be aggressive when time was up and the game was on the line.
At the same time, Pickett had 25 opportunities and with rare exception did he show he could be a quarterback that could lead a team to postseason success. His greatest qualities are his intangibles, that helped him get through and excel in his final year in college. It wasn’t good enough for the Steelers, even with all of the other struggles around him.
Kenny Pickett was a great quarterback in 2021 at Pitt. That success did not carry over with the Steelers. GM Omar Khan found an upgrade and they traded Pickett to Philly. It’s not as if they traded their future QB. That search continues with Russell Wilson holding it down for now.
Like in many divorces there is blame on both sides, hopefully is works out for each.