You may have seen the clip floating around social media of former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi breaking down why the Pittsburgh Steelers should trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. While Cousins is a veteran and probably on the trade block with the Vikings headed nowhere fast at 1-4 and with star receiver Justin Jefferson on IR, he’s not going to Pittsburgh.
It’s fair to have doubts about Kenny Pickett. He’s struggled with consistency and he had some issues earlier this season with his accuracy. He’s also not being helped out by his offensive coordinator, as Matt Canada’s offense has failed to evolve and is rudimentary. I’m not sure the offense is all that different or better with Cousins at the helm, anyway, but the Steelers also aren’t giving up on Pickett after 17 career starts.
The team spent a first-round pick on Pickett. They like him as their current quarterback and their quarterback of the future. Even if the team trades for Cousins and lets him walk after the season, Pickett’s development is going to be stunted and his confidence shot. It’s simply not something they would and it’s not happening. Pickett has his issues, but the Steelers are 3-2 and in first place in the AFC North. And it’s not in spite of Pickett, who made the best throw of his career on a 41-yard shot to George Pickens to seal the win over the Ravens with just over a minute left.
Pickett is also clutch, something Cousins hasn’t consistently shown throughout his career. The Steelers win ugly. That’s their brand of football right now. The defense keeps them in games and the offense does just enough, and often that’s Pickett leading the team to a come-from-behind fourth-quarter win. I’m not sure Cousins would be as clutch as Pickett, even if he’s the better pure quarterback right now.
Pickett isn’t struggling enough for the Steelers to give up on him, and I don’t think Cousins even really elevates their ceiling all that much. It’s just silly speculation, similar to when the Steelers were rumored to be involved with Jonathan Taylor. They’re a national brand, with one of the broadest fanbases across the country. It’s a name that draws eyes, so the Steelers get thrown into these discussions when nothing the organization is doing or has done would indicate a rash move and giving up on players, Pickett in this case, that they still think highly of and invested a lot of draft capital in.
It’s just not happening. The Steelers aren’t giving up assets for what could be a marginal improvement at the quarterback position and giving up on the guy they’re planning on having being their franchise quarterback. Cousins could go to the Jets, or maybe the Falcons. But he’s not coming to Pittsburgh. No one outside the organization is replacing Kenny Pickett. Let’s stop acting like it’s a possibility.
