While Kenny Pickett’s career with the Pittsburgh Steelers went poorly by any statistical measure, one reporter believes there’s more than meets the eye. Appearing on the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show Friday, CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala puts blame on the circumstances surrounding Pickett in Pittsburgh.
“If you even knew half of what he was dealing with here, I’m not willing to say he’s a complete and total bust,” she said responding to a comment that Pickett was a bust. “He was not the right fit. It was not the right thing here.”
She also mentioned discussing the “half” of what Pickett dealt with off-camera but didn’t reveal any additional details during the interview.
Regardless of the “why,” Pickett’s time in Pittsburgh was a failure. He lasted only two years, threw just 13 touchdown passes, and ended his career healthy and on the bench as Mason Rudolph led the Steelers into the playoffs. After the Steelers signed Russell Wilson to be their frontrunner, Pickett reportedly asked to be traded and the team obliged, sending him to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, he’ll serve as Jalen Hurts’ backup and while playing time doesn’t appear to be in his immediate future, Kinkhabwala is preaching patience.
“Let’s wait until his career is over,” she said.
Instead, the Steelers will roll with Wilson and Justin Fields as their top two quarterbacks with Wilson, coming off two difficult years in Denver, likely to get first crack to begin the regular season. But Kinkhabwala isn’t convinced he’s the answer.
“There is a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very valid reason that Sean Payton…is saying I’m going to pay this guy millions upon millions of dollars to be nowhere near my life,” she said.
And yes she used eight “verys” in here answer. Hopefully her point is clear. And understandable. The Broncos are paying Wilson nearly $40 million to not play for them. But even if Wilson has an identical season to what he accomplished in 2023, it’ll still be an improvement over what Pickett and the Steelers’ passing game have done in the last two. With a solid ground game, Pittsburgh’s offense can succeed with even an average aerial attack.
Check out the whole interview below.
