The Pittsburgh Steelers have entered 2023 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA and the excitement is flying through the air. General Manager, Omar Khan and Head Coach, Mike Tomlin along with the help of Andy Weidl, drastically updated the roster throughout the 2023 offseason. All eyes have been and will continue to be on second-year quarterback, Kenny Pickett. In recent memory, a sophomore season for a signal-caller is pivotal to the player's growth. Recent examples are Jacksonville Jaguars leader, Trevor Lawrence and Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills.
Steelers quarterback, Kenny Pickett (#8) jogs on the field during warmups prior to a 2022 regular season game against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
One of the most popular NFL-related productions of the 2023 offseason was Netflix's show, Quarterback. The docuseries, which is produced by legendary signal-caller, Peyton Manning, featured Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Minnesota Vikings' Kirk Cousins and Atlanta Falcons' Marcus Mariota. The trio was followed around throughout the entire 2022 season and it gave fans an in-depth look at their lives on and off the field.
It was pretty crazy to see the amount of access the players allowed the producers to get. It has been ranked in Netflix's Top 10 tv shows list for nearly two months since it was released on July 12th. It was announced that there will be a second season, but the issue has been securing other quarterbacks to agree to being on the show. Several players may not be comfortable with the up close and personal aspect of it.
It has already been reported that quarterbacks such as Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott and Joe Burrow have all declined the opportunity to be filmed for the docuseries. Lawrence also has passed up the chance to be featured in season two. The lack of desire to be on is quite understandable. Quarterbacks are already in the spotlight throughout the year and giving a camera crew all access to their daily lives may be a bit much.
Bengals quarterback, Joe Burrow (#9) make a throw during a regular season contest in Cincinnati, OH. | Photo Credit: Sam Greene / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
Steelers' Pickett Deserves The Option To Be On Quarterback
There hasn't been much talk of Pickett potentially being featured in season two, but there should be. The Steelers are a storied franchise and this may be something that isn't welcomed by Tomlin and ownership, but Netflix has a legitimate opportunity to take a deep dive into Pickett's second season as he attempts to make a big leap in his goal to follow in Ben Roethlisberger's footsteps.
Pickett, who was 7-5 as a starter in 2022, had only seven touchdowns, but threw nine interceptions. He had two impressive game-winning drives in the final four weeks of his rookie campaign which has led to optimism as he enters year two. The streaming conglomerate would hit ratings gold if they were able to tap into Tomlin's locker room and the most promising second-year quarterback in the NFL.
The goal isn't just to show what a signal-caller deals with on the field, but off as well. Pickett recently married his long-time partner, Amy, and given how much the counterparts of Mahomes, Cousins and Mariota were featured, it sets up to be a perfect story off the field as well. Manning seems to be running out of top-tier options and no one has been confirmed as a part of the second season yet. He should have been on the phone with Pickett's team by now. If it has happened, the conversation has not been leaked.
(Image Credits: @amypaternoster/Instagram)
Steelers newest married couple Kenny and Amy Pickett would be a great duo to feature on the second season of Netflix's, Quarterback.
Pickett told retired defensive end, Chris Long, on his Green Light podcast that he is intrigued by the show, but would want to have a detailed conversation with Manning before perhaps committing to be on it. The biggest thing to take away from the conversation was that the quarterback did not say he would decline an invitation, whereas, other signal-callers have been adamant about not having any interest.
There's no clear way to know if the Steelers organization would be okay with the amount of media attention the show brings, as it seems like an idea that would be shut down by Tomlin. That's no guarantee, though, and Pickett would be an awesome player to feature. He is entering his sophomore season playing for the same city he went to college in and is trying to make a huge leap in 2023 to bring the Steelers back to the playoffs. It would be must-watch television.
Would you want to see Pickett on Quarterback? Let us know in the comments below!
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