While the Pittsburgh Steelers seem content to roll into another season with QB Kenny Pickett as their starter, you would be hard-pressed to find a member of the media who agrees with that decision. It isn’t set in stone yet, and with free agency less than a week away, things could change in a hurry. But the words of GM Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin, and team president Art Rooney II sure make it sound like Pickett will get another chance under new OC Arthur Smith.
ESPN’s Get Up posed the question to former NFL player and current analyst Domonique Foxworth if the Steelers are making a mistake by sticking with Pickett.
“Yeah, I think so,” Foxworth said. “I think we’ve seen what Kenny Pickett can produce for them and it’s not embarrassing but it’s not very much. He’s coming up on turning 26 here real soon, so I think that optimism for him to develop into a different type of player is pretty low.”
The tune has changed dramatically just one year after most were very high on the prospects of Pickett developing into a franchise quarterback. He ended his rookie season on a high note with seven wins over the final nine games of the season, and he followed it up with a stellar showing in the preseason before falling flat in the regular season. He maintained a pretty good win-loss record with a 7-5 mark in 12 starts, including three games in which he failed to finish with an injury, but he has historically low scoring production and has only led the offense to one game of over 400 yards in his career.
It remains to be seen how much of that is Pickett and how much of that was offensive coordinator Matt Canada, who was fired midseason in 2023. The one full game that Pickett had without Canada was among his best career performances.
“Kenny Pickett is good enough I think to play in this league, but I don’t think he’s good enough to take the Steelers to where they think that they belong,” Foxworth said. “They need to be looking for a solution, and maybe Kenny Pickett’s the backup going forward.”
The latest reports indicate that the Steelers are not interested in bringing in somebody who will immediately supplant Pickett as the starter. The two biggest names linked to the team have been Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields and former Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson. Either player would be brought in to start right away, effectively ending any opportunities to see Pickett in a new offensive system and limiting the chance to evaluate him before his fifth-year option decision next offseason.
