Steelers, Kenny Pickett caught up in media debates over Lamar Jackson situation

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Kenny Pickett are blameless for the situation between Lamar Jackson and Baltimore Ravens. Jimmy Haslam was once a minority owner of the Steelers, but he owned the Cleveland Browns when he decided to pay Deshaun Watson a fully guaranteed contract. His decision and the subsequent acrimonious contract negotiations with Jackson have touched off some outrageous reactions throughout the national media.

When the news broke this week, the Fox Sports debate program "First Things First" was on the air and they reacted live to the news of Jackson receiving the non-exclusive franchise tag. The show features Nick Wright, Chris Broussard and Kevin Wildes. Somehow, the Steelers and Pickett found themselves as subjects in the potential chase for the former MVP.

Broussard, who also hosts "The Odd Couple" show on Fox Radio with Rob Parker, initially reacted to who should pursue the chase for Jackson and threw the Steelers into the mix as someone who should jump into the fray:

“I’ve talked about the Jets, you mentioned Detroit,” Broussard said. “I mean what team shouldn’t, Pittsburgh, Tennessee?”

Wright, who has bashed Pittsburgh before as "better than a bye week" in last year's playoffs for the Kansas City Chiefs, took the opportunity and immediately jumped in when Broussard mentioned the Steelers. It looked like he might be the voice of reason, but he quickly dispelled that by unloading on the rookie quarterback:

“Pittsburgh is not doing it,” Wright interjected. “They like Pickett, I don’t know why, he has tiny hands.”

“I like him too,” Broussard responded. “But not like Lamar Jackson.”

Pickett struggled initially when he was thrown into the game at halftime againt the New York Jets in Week 4. He almost brought the Steelers back, but the defense let him down and they lost a winnable game. The rookie signal-caller limped into the bye with his team at 2-6 and two touchdown passes versus eight interceptions.

During the second half of the season, the Steelers went 7-2 and Pickett’s record as a starter in his rookie season was 7-5. He finished with five touchdowns and one interception in the second half of the season. He also led two game-winning drives in back-to-back weeks against the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens to keep Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes alive.

Steelers Encouraged By Fox Sports Host To Dump Kenny Pickett For Derek Carr

This isn’t the first time someone associated with Fox Sports has disrespected the former Pitt Panthers QB and current starter for the Steelers. In February, Jason Smith of Fox Sports Radio encouraged the organization to dump Pickett for Derek Carr: