Had the Pittsburgh Steelers given him the backing he needed to be successful, perhaps Kenny Pickett would have flourished there.
According to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, “multiple sources within the Steelers organization acknowledged” Pickett “was placed in poor situations during his two years in Pittsburgh, and wasn’t given the adequate support required for a young quarterback.”
Before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Russell Wilson, a veteran, was signed by the Steelers in free agency, which led to Pickett asking for a trade.
Wilson was released by the Denver Broncos this winter, so it’s not surprising that the Steelers chased him in free agency. Wilson is a player of his quality.
Pittsburgh believed that Wilson’s signing “would have been a benefit to Kenny” and would “kick Kenny into gear,” according to Pryor. Pickett was obviously not of the same opinion, and he was transferred to Philadelphia.
In Pittsburgh, Pickett would have most certainly been Wilson’s backup, but he would have at least had an opportunity to compete for the starting job. Pickett will now be Jalen Hurts’ backup in Philadelphia, and he won’t face any opposition.
To be an NFL starter again at this point in his career, Pickett will need to absorb as much knowledge as he can from players like Hurts.
According to several sources, Pickett thought the Steelers were reverting to their original intention of giving him first-team reps, which would have put him at a disadvantage in any match. Pickett stated that he would prefer to play somewhere else and start over than to fight for second place in Pittsburgh. According to people involved in free agency discussions for available quarterbacks, rumors of Pickett’s rage started spreading throughout the league less than a day after Wilson’s declaration on March 11, the day permissible tampering in the NFL commenced.