It was time: Kenny Pickett reveals what exactly went wrong with the Steelers

All that glitters isn't gold for Kenny Pickett. The former No. 20 overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers is now on his second NFL team in three years. Upon the Steelers signing former Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks starter Russell Wilson, Pickett requested a trade out of town. He went to the other side of Pennsylvania to play for his boyhood team, the Philadelphia Eagles. What a complete tire fire.

Pickett had a bunch of college starts at Pitt, but it wasn't until his redshirt senior season leading the Panthers that he rose to national prominence. While he helped Pitt win the ACC, he was seen as the most pro-ready prospect in what was the weakest quarterback draft class in a decade. A lack of arm talent and the Steelers' chaotic nature led to the eventual departure from the team that drafted him.

During his introductory press conference with the Eagles, Pickett said "it was time" for him to go...

“I just thought it was time. It just felt like it was time from things that transpired. Wanted to get a chance to go somewhere else and continue to grow my career. The fact that it’s in Philly, the place that I found the love for the game. A great coaching staff, great players. Looking forward to meeting these guys in a couple weeks when everyone gets back in town. I think it’s an awesome opportunity to join this team.”

A complete and total lack of awareness be damned, Pickett also said he handled this "the right way".

Pickett didn't want to compete for the starting job. He wanted it to be handed to him. Now, he is gone.

Kenny Pickett explained what went wrong with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Whether it be a communication breakdown or a sense of entitlement, it went to hell in a hand basket faster for Pickett in Pittsburgh than you can say Neil O'Donnell. Pickett was under the impression that he would be the starter for the 2024, and whoever the Steelers brought in would serve as his backup. Not only did the miscalculate how Mason Rudolph felt about them, but they did the same with Pickett.

With Wilson coming in, the pressure to start him was far greater than keeping Pickett out there as QB1 with an unproven track record in the NFL. Although Pickett could reinvent himself as a backup with the Eagles, his reputation across the league has taken an insurmountable hit. He went from being Pittsburgh's "hometown" hero to coming across like a complete and total brat in two seasons.

Ultimately, the big takeaway I have from this latest Steelers debacle is that quarterbacks who are taken in the first round and who aren't always willing to compete will get left behind on the depth chart. More so than ever, if you are taken high, you are expected to perform right away. While being competitive does not always guarantee a player of having success, not having any leads to failure.

Right now, Pickett is one bad month of starting games with the Eagles from being out of the league.