PITTSBURGH – Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was honored this weekend at his alma mater’s season opener at Acrisure Stadium, but the reception was anything but warm.
As the Pitt Panthers rolled to a 55-24 victory over the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday, the school showed off Pickett’s highlights during a stoppage in play. However, in the eyes of a select few fans, his weaknesses with the Steelers trumped his successes at Pitt, as he was booed by the crowd.
Kenny Pickett was great for Pitt.
This is not the case for the Steelers.
If you boo him at a Pitt game, your fan card must be revoked.
They’re there to support the college team. Not the Black & Gold.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) 31 August 2024
Pickett was selected No. 20 by the Steelers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. After leading the Panthers to their first-ever ACC Championship victory and finishing third in Heisman Trophy voting in his final college season, Pickett’s NFL expectations were huge as he looked to continue building his legacy in the city.
Although he lost his spot in the starting lineup to Mitch Trubisky right after training camp as a rookie, it didn’t take long for Pickett to oust him and take over the role.
In his professional debut in a Week 4 loss to the New York Jets in 2022, Pickett scored two rushing touchdowns before Mike Tomlin officially named him the starter, a title he would hold for the rest of the season.
Pickett threw for 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 63.0% completion rate in his 12 starts as a rookie. Pittsburgh went 7-5 with him at the helm, including a 5-1 streak at the end of the year that nearly put the Steelers in the playoffs.
In 2023, Pickett’s hype train nearly derailed after a stellar preseason that further cemented his status as the team’s premier quarterback. Pittsburgh began the year with a 7-4 record, with all of the games being games in which he was in the starting lineup, though the offense wasn’t exactly buzzing despite the team’s overall success.
An ankle injury in the Steelers’ Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals required surgery, which Pickett didn’t know at the time would end his season. Mason Rudolph secured the starting spot during his absence, and although Pickett was healthy enough to return by the end of the year, Pittsburgh benched him in what felt like the final nail in his coffin with the organization.
Pickett finished the season with six touchdowns and four interceptions on 324 attempts. The Steelers finished in the bottom 10 in both yards (304.3) and points per game (17.9), the lowest of any playoff team.
After Pittsburgh signed Russell Wilson for a year during the following offseason, Pickett was sent to the Philadelphia Eagles in his hometown, where he was included in the 53-man roster and is expected to serve as a backup to Jalen Hurts this year.
Pickett’s tenure with the Steelers was anything but smooth, but it’s odd that he was booed at a Pitt sporting event. He helped the football program reach heights it hadn’t seen in decades and finished his career there as the school’s record holder for passing yards (12,303) and touchdowns (81).
Don’t forget to bookmark Steelers OnSI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film analysis and more.
