Former Pittsburgh Steelers star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was completely transparent when he talked about how it felt to see rookie Kenny Pickett under center last season.
Roethlisberger officially hung up his shoes after the 2021 campaign, finishing his career with two Super Bowl wins, six Pro Bowls, the 2004 Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the most wins by a Steelers quarterback in the NBA. franchise history with 166.
However, with Roethlisberger resigning, Pittsburgh had to restart at the top position. But on the «Footbahlin Podcast,» with Pickett as a special guest, Roethlisberger expressed his real thoughts about his successor to running the offense.
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Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up before the start of the game against the Los Vegas Raiders at Acrisure Stadium on December 24, 2022 in Pittsburgh. (Justin Berl/Getty Images)
«I’m going to be transparent about this. I’m going to get criticized, I probably shouldn’t say this,» Roethlisberger said. «From the beginning, I didn’t want you to succeed… That’s selfish on me, and I’m sorry about that.»
Pickett was the Steelers’ first-round pick in last year’s draft, though he wasn’t the consensus starter before training camp. He was real competition with Mitch Trubisky, another first-round pick from the past, and ended up taking the job over the New Jersey native.
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However, Trubisky ended up losing the job and Pickett ended up starting for the first time in Week 5.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett throws against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half in Baltimore on January 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
The Steelers committed to developing Pickett as a starter for the remainder of the season, though he missed Week 14 with injury. He finished 7-6 as a starter with 2,404 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in his rookie season.
This season, Steelers general manager Omar Khan has said Pickett is his starter heading into camp. However, Trubisky signed an extension and Mason Rudolph returned to fill out the quarterback room.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger walks off the field at the end of an NFL Wild Card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs on January 16, 2022, in Kansas City. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
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Pickett is no Roethlisberger, but Big Ben is now rooting for his success.