The Pittsburgh Steelers have moved swiftly away from the short-lived Kenny Pickett era. The former University of Pittsburgh quarterback was drafted by former General Manager Kevin Colbert in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft to be the successor to Ben Roethlisberger. While Pickett managed to maintain a winning record of 14-10, his lack of production and failure to develop in his second season after a promising preseason left a lot to desire. Pickett's actions, stemming from seemingly not wanting to dress as Mason Rudolph's backup for a game against the Seattle Seahawks, to how he handled the acquisition of Russell Wilson, will have him playing for a new organization in 2024.
The organization dealt Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday. Steelers beat writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Ray Fittipaldo joined Christopher Carter on the North Shore Drive Podcast to break down some of the franchise's moves over the weekend. Fittipaldo said that Pickett's behavior towards the latter part of the season when he was benched for Rudolph didn't endear him to his teammates and, ultimately, helped the team make cutting bait with him the easiest decision.
"I think Kenny acting out and being difficult was probably the best thing for the Steelers," he said. "A lot of people were glad to see him go. It's one thing to not be playing and not feel like you're a part of it. It's another to outwardly mope and not do what's best for the team."
Pickett was made a captain for the 2023 season, but the Steelers offense still felt like it lacked leadership. Pickett didn't do an end-of-the-year media availability on locker cleanout day, while other captains like Cam Heyward and TJ Watt stepped up to the podium to answer questions about the disappointing end to another campaign.
In his year-end press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin praised Pickett's intangibles and competitiveness. He specifically pointed to Pickett not running from challenges. From the reporting that's been done, it sure sounds like he's running from the challenge of even trying to compete with Wilson to be the Steelers starting quarterback.
The Pickett era in Pittsburgh was certainly a strange couple of years. It had the potential to be a fairytale-like story with the man who held many records for the Pitt Panthers coming to be the savior of the NFL team that shares facilities with them. The team did no favors to him by holding on to former Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada for as long as they did.
Pittsburgh also had a wealth of young offensive weapons when Pickett arrived or added in the draft with him. Running back Najee Harris had been the team's first-round pick the year before Pickett and finished fourth in yards from scrimmage in his rookie season. Pat Freiermuth was taken in the second round of the 2021 draft after the team nabbed Harris. George Pickens was taken in the round after Pickett in 2022 and was expected to show big things with the new franchise quarterback.
Steelers Get A New Leader In Wilson
After a lack of leadership in the offensive room dominated the storylines of the 2023 Steelers, Fittipaldo expects things to be different in 2024. He was very impressed by Wilson in his introductory press conference and felt that he exuded the right sentiment that a captain and leader should. The Super Bowl winner talked quite a bit about how he had already connected with a number of the leaders on the team.
Fittipaldo said it's a breath of fresh air to see what Wilson brings in comparison to Pickett on the leadership side. Wilson has his detractors as a teammate. So did Roethlisberger. In a long career like Wilson's had, he's bound to have rubbed some people the wrong way. His words on Friday, however, at least endeared him to Fittipaldo.
Whether or not Wilson is the leader that he projected in his introduction to Pittsburgh will play out in the 2024 season, he's starting on the right foot either way.
Would you have been frustrated with Pickett as a teammate? Do you think Wilson will be a good leader for the young Steelers offense?
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