Steelers’ Kenny Pickett Refutes Report He Refused to Dress for Seahawks Game

A fiery Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett started his media availability Tuesday by denying rumors that he refused to dress for his team’s game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday because he did not want to serve as the backup to Mason Rudolph.

Pickett, who has started all 12 games in which he has appeared this season, has been out of action due to a high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 13 and said he was not medically cleared to play against the Seahawks. 

On Monday, coach Mike Tomlin announced Rudolph will remain the team’s starter in the team’s regular-season finale against the Baltimore Ravens despite Pickett’s return from injury. 

“I saw reports out there that I feel like were attacking my character and how I am as a person,” Pickett said Tuesday. “There was not talk of me being a backup quarterback this week [against the Seahawks] in terms of being a two. If I was healthy enough to play, if the trainers and coaches felt like I looked good enough to play, I was going to start and play.” 

QB Kenny Pickett opens his availability this morning by saying the rumors that he refused to dress against Seattle if he wasn’t starting aren’t true.

He says he will be the No.2 vs. Baltimore pic.twitter.com/WOsRHkzqIM

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) January 2, 2024

Mark Madden of WXDX-FM was the first to report Pickett refused to dress for the Seahawks game, and he added that “Steelers writers know but won’t write it.” Derrick Bell of Steelers Now also reported that Pickett refused to back up Rudolph. 

After Pickett’s media availability, Madden ranted on social media, claiming that Pickett is lying about refusing to dress and back up Rudolph.

Kenny Pickett should thank me. Before I used the truth to turn him babyface, he was a scrub the citizens were losing faith in. Now he's a martyr. (And a liar.)

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) January 2, 2024

Of course, Pickett is gonna lie. And of course, you're gonna believe him.

— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) January 2, 2024

Pickett will serve as the backup quarterback for the Steelers (9–7) against the Ravens (13–3) on Saturday, with kickoff set for 4:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.