After Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers wasted little time trying find their next franchise quarterback. The first real stab they took was drafting Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick in 2022. Things did not work out, to say the least.
Pickett is now a member of the Browns, but he spent the 2024 season backing up Jalen Hurts for the Eagles. Speaking to the media at Browns Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Wednesday, Pickett reflected on his time in Philadelphia.
“I’m extremely grateful for my time in Philly,” Pickett said via Browns beat writer Scott Petrak on X. “I think I just was shown how it’s supposed to be done, really from the top-down. When you get a chance to see what it’s supposed to look like, and how it should look, on a day-to-day basis, not just on Sundays, I think it will pay dividends for me going into the future.”
It’s hard to blame Kenny Pickett for feeling the way he does. He was on a Super Bowl-winning team with the Eagles, who were dominant throughout the regular season and the playoffs. Although Pickett didn’t make an impact in the playoffs, it’s clear the Eagles were a well-run team throughout the 2024 season.
Looking at it from the Steelers’ perspective, though, it’s hard not to interpret it as something of a shot at them. Pickett spent his first two years in Pittsburgh, and it wasn’t pretty.
During his time as a Steeler, Pickett played in 25 games, starting 24 of them. He completed 62.6 percent of his passes, for 4,474 yards, coming out to 179 per game. His touchdown-to-interception ratio wasn’t impressive either, with 13 of each. Pickett was drafted too early in a weak quarterback class, and his numbers certainly reflect that. Not that it was all Pickett’s fault.
The offense as a whole, during his time in Pittsburgh, was young and unproven. There were some questions on the offensive line and, aside from George Pickens, not a lot for Pickett to work with. Pickens, Pickett and Najee Harris were leaned on heavily, but all were young and unproven. That’s something Harris spoke about as well, earlier this offseason.
That’s all in the past now, and both Kenny Pickett and the Steelers are looking to improve. Currently, Pickett is in a complicated quarterback room in Cleveland. He’ll be fighting for playing time with rookies Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, as well as Joe Flacco. Deshaun Watson is still on the roster as well, but due to injuries, and bad play in general, he likely won’t see the field much in 2025 if at all.
If Pickett does end up the starter, his first chance at revenge will come in Week 6 when the Steelers host the Browns at Acrisure Stadium. In Week 17, Pittsburgh travels to Cleveland to complete the season series.
