Steelers QB and captain Kenny Pickett skips out on media availability

Just a day out from the Pittsburgh Steelers season coming to a disappointing end, players were back in the lockers for clean-out day. This is also a day when the players provide one last round of media availability. According to Steelers beat reporter Ray Fittipaldo, quarterback Kenny Pickett was not among those players in the lockers and therefore didn’t speak to the press.

Pickett suffered an ankle injury late in the season and despite getting tightrope surgery on his ankle to expedite his recovery, never got his starting job back. The team turned to Mason Rudolph and went on a winning streak at the end of the year to make the playoffs, which couldn’t have sat well with the former first-round pick.

I did not see Kenny Pickett in either of the two locker room availabilities today. A bit unusual for a captain not to speak with reporters on locker clean out day. TJ Watt and Cam Heyward did interviews today. Next opportunity for local reporters to speak with Pickett likely OTAs

— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) January 16, 2024

Sorting out the quarterback position is going to be a top priority for head coach Mike Tomlin. Pickett is heading into his third season and will have a new offensive coordinator but at the same time, Rudolph is headed to free agency and it is unclear if he will return.