Steelers Didn't "Need To Make [Kenny Pickett] Look Bad"; NBC's Mike Florio Absolutely Rips Apart Tony Racioppi's Defense Of QB

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett to try and minimize the challenging transition that occurs when a franchise quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger retires. After two seasons without the kind of growth expected from a first-round pick, the Steelers traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles soon after signing veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. With the former Pitt passer in Philadelphia, his longtime private coach had some harsh words for the Steelers regarding the way Pickett's time in the Steel City ended.

Tony Racioppi, a quarterback coach and trainer who has worked with Pickett privately ever since his time with the Pitt Panthers, didn't appreciate how Pickett's exit from Pittsburgh was being portrayed. When the Steelers acquired Wilson, Pickett was not particularly pleased about the prospect of competing for the starting spot, something that Racioppi completely denied, claiming a false narrative was being pushed. However, NBC's Mike Florio went on Wednesday's The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on 93.7 The Fan to address Racioppi's comments and speak on how he viewed Pickett's time in black and gold.

"How do I put this as gently as possible? Did the Steelers need to make him look bad? Did he need any help to look bad? Did we see nothing from him in two years that would make us say, 'Wow, there's a keeper'...What did Kenny Pickett ever do that makes you say, 'Wow, we need to harness that and do it all the time?' He did nothing special. It was all meat and potatoes; simple basic stuff."

Florio hit the nail on the head because during the two seasons that Pickett had with the Steelers, he simply couldn't rise to the occasion. 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, which is what Pickett managed in 24 NFL starts with Pittsburgh, wouldn't be acceptable from a mid-round pick, let alone the only quarterback taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Other than his penchant for coming to life for a drive or two in the fourth quarter, nothing Pickett displayed proved the Steelers right for investing in him.

"I get why they did it, and it had to be bad for the Steelers to admit failure of a first-round pick at the quarterback position and throw him overboard after two years. I don't think he [Pickett] needs any help as it relates to narratives that make him look bad. He made himself look bad in the two years he had to show that he could be an NFL quarterback at a high level."

Pickett's attitude over competing with Wilson isn't the first time that the former first-round pick has had that kind of response to backing up another quarterback. Near the end of the 2023 season, Pickett didn't react well to being the backup for Mason Rudolph, which he promptly denied in a similar fashion to Racioppi's defensive comments. Pickett is getting a chance with the Eagles, but if history is any indicator, he still doesn't want to be a backup, even if it is to Jalen Hurts.

Steelers Have Moved On Already

Pickett's time as Pittsburgh's starter got off to a hard-hitting, exciting beginning when Mitch Trubisky was benched at halftime in Week 4 of 2022 against the New York Jets. After a near-miss in the 2022 playoffs, Pickett was supposed to make a leap in his sophomore season, but it never happened. With the former Pitt quarterback now with the Eagles, Pittsburgh has another chance to get it right after two mulligan seasons without Roethlisberger.

With Wilson and Justin Fields, the Steelers got two quarterbacks for a fraction of the price of one. Wilson brings veteran experience, a Super Bowl victory, and leadership to a position group that has been severely lacking in all three since the 2021 campaign ended. Fields represents the future, and gets a chance to sit and learn, rather than getting tossed into the fire, which certainly didn't help his growth with the Chicago Bears. While the Steelers can't maintain a quarterback room that includes two highly-paid, starting-caliber passers, for 2024 at least, the franchise can distance from the short-lived Pickett era and get back to competing amongst the top of the league again.

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