A Continuous Journey: 2024 NFL Offseason Thread

Pickett might not have done himself any favors either, given the rumor that he refused to dress as the emergency QB in Seattle and certainly didn’t appear to react well to the Wilson signing.

Sure, he might have been told it would be a competition when we knew it wouldn’t be, and he might have felt betrayed by the team there, but show some mettle, some resolve, some fire. Don’t just give the appearance that you feel your deserve a starting job with that resume.

 

Those rumors have been debunked. He wasn't cleared for that game. We have no idea what the conversations with the team since the Wilson signing were like, but why rush to grab a deal that brings them so little in return? Hell, getting even a decent backup might cost them as much as they got.

He certainly had reason to feel betrayed. It came out that teammates lobbied for the Wilson signing. He lost his job due to injury and that made it look like he was never going to get another shot. They went from him being their guy and they believe in him to the team giving up on him in one season, most of it with Matt Canada screwing things up. It's not surprising that so many Steelers fans got impatient with him so quickly, but it is so out of character for the organization.

 

If you trade for Fields as a backup, you can’t pick up his 5th year option so you are trading for a one year rental. So why would you give up much more than a very late pick for that?

 

But the term 'win now' implies that the move has some future, inhibiting cost. Paying league minimum for a year has almost no risk.

 

If you’ve lost Watt, Fitzpatrick, and the NFL Man of the Year, who all lobbied for Wilson to come to Pittsburgh, that’s telling on a lot of levels. It tells me it wasn’t just an injury or Matt Canada.

Also, we’re learning to redefine the character of this organization in real time. Khan is quickly changing things, and given some of Colbert’s final decisions as GM, it’s a wise move.

 

The cost is it leaves them without a quarterback for 2025. When evaluating a player acquisition, you have to consider the long-term as well as the short. There is a good chance Wilson will be better in 2024 than Pickett would have been, but Pickett could have developed more and become their starter in 2025.

 

Relying on players to show patience is a dubious expectation at best, especially a guy at the end of his career like Heyward. If Rooney, Khan, and Tomlin thought patience was warranted and didn't exercise it due to the feelings of the players, that is a poor choice by them. They didn't have to choose Wilson or Pickett. They could have started the former in 2024 and had the option of giving Pickett another shot in 2025. Either they allowed players, including Pickett, to force their hands or they evaluated Pickett poorly just a year ago when they thought he was their guy. Either way, it points to bad work by the three men in charge. Again, this is all without knowing the tenor of Pickett's conversations with them after they signed Wilson. I think the Steelers leaked the story of him wanting out to try to make themselves look better, to blame the player, but I think it just makes them look weak. If that narrative is true, it is just the latest example of the inmates running the asylum.

 

Those three players I mentioned will never be confused for Antonio Brown. They’re viewed as classy players who do things the right way, who are great ambassadors for the team. That carries some weight. They don’t just say or do things that impact the franchise by impulse. There’s actual thought and discussion into what worked and what went wrong. To dismiss them lobbying for Wilson to come to Pittsburgh as essentially selfish or short-sighted is a mistake.

Just a guess on my part about why they ran it back with Pickett this past year: that’s what they were supposed to do, because it’s the Steelers Way, it’s how things have always been done. Can’t part ways with Pickett after one season or immediately start to undo what a popular, two-decade GM did, not matter how poorly he did at the end. But this past season showed that they can’t just stand pat.

 

Looks like Tomlin is already over Pickett:

John Mair on Instagram: "Russ and Queen made Steelers HC Mike Tomlin very happy during his 52nd birthday when they came to the facility to officially sign with the Steelers . (via @steelers ) • • • • • • • • Use code STEELERSFANS7 on Seat Geek to save 20$ off of your first purchase #steelers #steelersnation #herewego #benroethlisberger #kennypickett #camheyward #sports #pittsburgh #terribletowel #georgepickens #stairwaytoseven #steelerscountry #minkahfitzpatrick #steelcurtian #najeeharris #troypolamalu #tjwatt #nfl #football #superbowl #collegefootball #mvp #mlb #soccer #nba #nhl #baseball #worldcup #miketomlin #pittsburghsteelers"

 

Tomlin likes to say he wants volunteers, not prisoners. When they traded Pickett and Diontae Johnson, they shipped two inmates out of the asylum.

 

They didn't have a 2025 QB before signing Wilson for league minimum and the signing doesn't prevent them from finding one going forward. In no way was signing Wilson 'win now. '

 

I love how the Steelers don’t have a future QB, but Atlanta does?

Wilson and Cousins are the same age.