The Pittsburgh Steelers made some major changes ahead of the 2024 season. During the offseason, the organization completely changed its quarterback room. General Manager Omar Khan did this by trading away Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles, releasing Mitch Trubisky, and letting Mason Rudolph find a new home in free agency. Pittsburgh then signed Russell Wilson and Kyle Allen, and also traded for Justin Fields. Additionally, the organization added a new quarterbacks coach in Tom Arth, making it so no one from the room in 2023 would be back in 2024, aside from Mike Sullivan.
The Steelers moved on from Pickett after just two seasons, which featured just 24 starts. The organization selected him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and many thought he would work his way into becoming a franchise quarterback. That clearly wasn't the case, as the quarterback struggled throughout his second season and was eventually replaced by Trubisky and Rudolph after suffering an ankle injury.
Pickett is in line to make his first start with Philadelphia in Week 17 due to Jalen Hurts having a concussion. During FOX NFL Sunday, Jay Glazer was giving the latest on the injury reports for Sunday's slate of games. He acknowledged Hurts being out, but also mentioned how Pickett is dealing with a rib injury, but is playing through it. Former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw was on the show, and he made a strong statement.
"They [the Steelers] should have never gotten rid of [Kenny] Pickett."
Bradshaw was always high on Pickett, even after the 2023 season before the young quarterback was traded to the Eagles. Sky-high expectations were set for Pickett going into his second season with the Steelers, and he wasn't able to meet them while also dealing with some injuries. It would have been interesting to see what Pickett could have done in Pittsburgh had he had a competent offensive coordinator instead of Matt Canada.
Hurts suffered his concussion during the first quarter of Philadelphia's Week 16 loss to the Washington Commanders. Pickett came into the game in relief of the franchise quarterback, and he played alright although the Eagles ultimately lost the game.
The third-year quarterback completed 14 of his 24 passes in the loss for 143 yards and a touchdown, while also throwing an interception. He would have won the game for the Eagles had Devonta Smith hauled in an easy catch on a slant route for a first down that would have sealed the game.
The organization seems to have a lot of confidence in Pickett, as he is even playing through a rib injury, which could seriously hinder a quarterback's abilities. It would have been nice to see the quarterback have success in Pittsburgh, and it would have been nice to see the organization attempt to help him out in some way. The Steelers never even gave Pickett a chance to play under a different offensive coordinator, so it is hard to gauge what the third-year player could become.
Steelers' Offseason Quarterback Moves Were The Right Ones
Although Bradshaw wishes Pickett was still with the Steelers, it is pretty easy to admit that the Steelers made the right decision in starting over at the position. Both Fields and Wilson have played well during their time as starters in the black and gold, and it will be interesting to see what the organization does after the season as both player will be free agents.
It is unlikely the organization brings back both quarterbacks, and the fanbase is rather split on who should be the quarterback in 2025 after a string of rough performances from Wilson.Pittsburgh helped itself by admitting the mistake of drafting Pickett early-on. Some organizations stick with their young quarterbacks for far too long, which can set a franchise back a few years. The Steelers cut ties with the quarterback at the right time, although they never truly gave him a chance.
