One thing is certain in the Omar Khan era as GM of the Pittsburgh Steelers: competition is a must at every position.
Kenny Pickett seemingly didn’t get the memo, which ultimately led to the Steelers jettisoning him to the Philadelphia Eagles for pick No. 98 in the 2024 NFL Draft and two 2025 seventh-round picks, according to reports.
According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers Insider Gerry Dulac, Pickett handled the acquisition of Wilson “poorly,” which led to his trade to the Eagles Friday afternoon.
Pickett was set to enter his third season in Pittsburgh theoretically competing for the starting job with the Steelers following the signing of Wilson to a one-year, $1.21 million deal, which was agreed to on Sunday night.
But Pickett didn’t handle Wilson’s arrival well, according to Dulac, leading to the Steelers sending him packing. As Dulac noted, Pickett’s handling of the situation poorly came on the heels of the former first-round pick reportedly refusing to be the backup to Mason Rudolph in Seattle on the road in Week 17.
Back in late December, Pickett was healthy enough to practice and believed he would be good to go to get back into the starting lineup. However, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stated he was sticking with the hot hand in Rudolph. That reportedly angered Pickett, who then reportedly refused to be the No. 2 on gameday.
Pickett was inactive in Seattle but refuted a report that only a bruised ego had prevented him from dressing against the Seahawks.
“I saw reports out there that I felt like were attacking my character and how I am as a person, not even getting into a player standpoint of it. There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a two. If I was healthy enough to play and the trainers and coaches felt like I would look good enough to play, I was gonna start and play,” Pickett said to reporters, according to video via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly on Twitter.
