The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the belief that the franchise had found their next quarterback for the future. After two seasons and 13 touchdowns to go with 13 interceptions, Pittsburgh brought in Russell Wilson and traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles. While the rebuilt quarterback room in Pittsburgh (which includes both Wilson and Justin Fields), is widely seen as a clear upgrade from 2023, that isn't the unanimous perspective.
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Quarterback Kenny Pickett during a Pittsburgh Steelers' practice.
After Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, the Steelers wanted to shorten the transition time as much as possible, and Pickett seemed to fit the bill. Now, with Pickett in Philadelphia and Wilson entering the Steelers' 2024 training camp as the starter, it seems as though Pittsburgh came out on top. However, Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports sees Pickett as the Steelers' most important departure during Pittsburgh's 2024 offseason.
"On top of bringing in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Pittsburgh also traded former first-round pick Kenny Pickett -- and a fourth-rounder -- to the Eagles in exchange for a third-round selection (which ended up being Payton Wilson) and two 2025 seventh-round picks. Pickett will now serve as the backup to Jalen Hurts, while Wilson and Fields will duke it out for the starting job this summer."
While the trade that sent Pickett to the Eagles could certainly be seen as intriguing or perhaps even noteworthy, it seems a stretch to call it the most important. The loss of a subpar quarterback with a tendency to roll into injuries hardly seems like a departure that will haunt the Steelers. After the 2022 and 2023 seasons, fans in Pittsburgh are eager to see a higher level of quarterback play during the 2024 campaign.
The positives in bringing Pickett to Pittsburgh ended up having very little impact on his on-the-field play, not to mention the cringeworthy refusal to be a backup quarterback during the homestretch in 2023. When all was said and done, Mason Rudolph was the quarterback who led the Steelers to a surprising 2023 Wild Card game. With Pickett in Philadelphia, Rudolph with the Tennessee Titans, and Mitch Trubisky back with the Buffalo Bills, it will be up to Wilson and Fields to get back to consistently winning football games.
Wilson knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl, having been to two and won one with the Seattle Seahawks. Fields has a ton of untapped potential talent that the Chicago Bears were unable to utilize to the fullest. With a brand new offense being rolled out by Arthur Smith, the Steelers have confidence that the decision to gut the position room and literally start over again will result in success. At the very least, Pittsburgh will give the defense a competent offensive attack that won't leave the Steelers' defensive stars hung out to dry, as was the case throughout 2023.
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Quarterback Kenny Pickett during the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers' training camp.
Steelers Upgraded With Payton Wilson Pick
When the Steelers traded Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round draft pick to the Eagles, Pittsburgh received a 2024 third-round pick and two seventh-round picks in 2025. At the time, that seemed like a pretty even trade, considering the lack of production and team spirit Pickett put forth in Pittsburgh. After the Steelers used that 2024 third-round selection (the 98th overall pick), on Payton Wilson, it looked like the Steelers truly got the better end of that deal in every way.
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Linebacker Payton Wilson getting ready for a game during his time at NC State.
Wilson only dropped into the third-round of the 2024 NFL Draft due to injury concerns in college that hampered several seasons. The Steelers felt comfortable enough with Wilson's health and availability that they used that 98th overall pick on the former North Carolina State linebacker. Wilson has blazing sideline-to-sideline speed (4.43 at the NFL Combine) that has been missing in the middle of Pittsburgh's defense ever since Ryan Shazier was lost to a career-ending injury in 2017.
Pittsburgh's new offense will be fielded in 2024, and the defense will need to be ready to answer the call whenever necessary. Considering how little the Steelers got back from Pickett over two seasons, the possibility of Wilson being a foundational part of Pittsburgh's linebacker corps already has the pick looking like an upgrade over the former first-round quarterback.
Which Steelers departure during the 2024 offseason will be missed the most? Comment below!
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