At one point in time, most of the city of Pittsburgh hailed Kenny Pickett as the future of the franchise. The first top draft pick at quarterback for the Steelers since Ben Roethlisberger, the hometown hero, was instantly thrust into a prominent role with the hopes of rising to the occasion.
Instead, he failed miserably with the team and was quickly replaced after just two seasons.
Now, Pickett can’t seem to find a permanent home. The Eagles used him as a backup last season before sending him to Cleveland this past offseason. There, he hoped to earn a starting gig in an admittedly bad quarterback room, but that never panned out. Just before the NFL roster deadline, the Browns traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Now, he heads to his fourth team in four seasons, as the Raiders brought him in to be their backup. At this point, it seems like Pickett is closer to being out of the league than he is to securing a starting role once again.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were wise to cut ties with Kenny Pickett when they did
Under Omar Khan, the Steelers dedicated themselves to getting better quarterback play. Having not drafted Pickett, the commitment was never there. He never showed the traits you wanted in a starter, so Khan swiftly moved on.
No, the Steelers quarterback room hasn’t been perfect, but we saw a notable improvement in the room last year and should expect something similar this year. While the long-term answer hasn’t been found, the hope is that 2026 will provide a top rookie to fill those shoes.
READ MORE: Brewing Steelers problem behind DK Metcalf could get ugly fast
Pittsburgh could have stuck with Pickett and made additional excuses for him. Arthur Smith was set to have his first season as the offensive coordinator, and he got something out of a seemingly deficient Ryan Tannehill a few years earlier.
Instead, the team realized there wasn’t enough lipstick to put on that pig, and keeping Pickett did the franchise no good.
From top to bottom, this was a horrible decision. Kevin Colbert was ready to retire, but was allowed to draft in 2022 and attempt to pick the next franchise quarterback. The Steelers remained committed to Mat Canada for far too long. This was an experiment destined to fail.
Khan cutting ties doesn’t absolve the team of that disaster, but he made the best of an unfortunate situation. Through the trade, they got Payton Wilson, and he seems poised for a breakout season. At least a small positive came out of this horrible situation.
That said, Khan deserves praise for being quick to move on. So many teams let these former top quarterbacks linger. All it takes is one ok season, and suddenly these guys are worth 40-plus million dollars a season. That severely limits a franchise when they make deals like that.
It was a bad situation all over, but thankfully, the Steelers didn’t allow Kenny Pickett to linger any longer than two seasons. They made the most of a bad situation, and now they can watch their former top draft pick take on his new challenge as a backup quarterback.