Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson recently revealed on the Jim Rome Show that he texted Mike Tomlin after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson and said, “Now you finally have a quarterback with credibility and someone you can count on being in the lineup.” Referring to last year’s quarterbacks, not Ben Roethlisberger.
Mike Tomlin responded back, “We got us one.”
Patrick Peterson might have not been intentional with his comments, he could have been just trying to build up Russell Wilson, but that’s certainly not a ringing endorsement for Kenny Pickett.
Things didn’t go smooth for Pickett on many levels during his two seasons as the Steelers quarterback. The most glaring problem was his inability to put the ball into the end zone. His 13 passing touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 25 career games is the lowest touchdown percentage in NFL history (1.8%, minimum 500 pass attempts).
Durability was also an issue, Pickett left games with an injury and did not return five times in a two-year span. His ankle injury against the Arizona Cardinals sidelined him for three games and he lost his starting spot to Mason Rudolph down the stretch. In regards to being available, Peterson does have a valid point.
Pickett was irritated by the Steelers supposedly not keeping their word that he would be the clear-cut starter, and he requested a trade following the signing of Russell Wilson. The Steelers obliged and sent him to Philadelphia. Pickett now has a fresh start in Philadelphia, but he’ll have a difficult time seeing the field unless an injury happens to starter Jalen Hurts.
As for Peterson, he told Rome that he hopes a return to the Steelers would occur. Tomlin previously stated that a reunion is still a legitimate possibility.
“We’ve still got time left on the table,” Peterson said. “Hopefully, I can get something done with the Steelers. That’s the team that I definitely want to play for because I have so much respect for Coach Tomlin.”