Fox Sports Radio Host: Scratch The Steelers From Super Bowl Contender If Kenny Pickett Starts

"Steelers face tough offseason decision on whether Kenny Pickett is 'The Guy' as QB1, with doubts about his ability to lead."

Steelers fans, get ready for an offseason filled with debates about whether or not Kenny Pickett is "The Guy." You'll hear this topic discussed so frequently that it will feel like you've wandered onto the set of the 2001 movie Spy Kids.

Pickett finds himself in a classic situation where he has shown just enough potential, and the Steelers have invested just enough draft capital in him, making it difficult to give up on him after only 24 starts. His record of 14-10 in those starts raises the question of whether his success is due to him or in spite of him.

Fox Sports analyst Jason Smith doesn't believe Pickett's performance has been strong enough to lead a contender. He expressed his thoughts on the Steelers' quarterback situation following Mike Tomlin's press conference, where he announced that Pickett would be the starting quarterback going into the offseason on The Jason Smith Show.

"Count the Steelers out as Super Bowl contenders," Smith said. "How can you convince your team and your fans that Kenny Pickett is the answer for this year? Kenny Pickett hasn't been good. If he truly was the answer, he would have reclaimed his starting position at the end of the season. They wouldn't have been relying on Mason Rudolph's hot hand."

While Tomlin stated that Pickett would be QB1 going into the offseason, he also left the door open for a quarterback competition by mentioning that Pickett would face competition. However, it appears that the job is currently Pickett's to lose. It wouldn't be surprising if he did lose it, but it's difficult to argue against Pickett being the opening-day starter in 2024.

Here's an interesting stat about Kenny Pickett: in his last seven starts in 2023, he threw only one touchdown pass. One! Even if we exclude the Arizona game where he was injured, his full-season pace would be less than three touchdowns. While he did not throw any interceptions in those games, a mistake-free quarterback and a good defense are no longer sufficient to win in today's NFL.

Jason Smith's argument leads to an intriguing thought experiment: when was the last time a quarterback with Pickett's style won a Super Bowl? One could argue that Nick Foles did so in 2018, although it's difficult to imagine Pickett throwing for 373 yards and three touchdowns in any game, let alone a Super Bowl. One would have to go back to 2002, when Brad Johnson was the starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to find a somewhat comparable situation.

Therefore, the Steelers would be defying a 20+ year trend by aiming to win the Super Bowl next year with Pickett at the helm. Given Pickett's performance thus far, Smith's skepticism seems well-founded.

Share With Others