J.J. Watt takes sides in Steelers/Kenny Pickett drama
Watt is offering his view on the split.
The Football Feed
The Kenny Pickett era is officially over in Pittsburgh, as the former heir-apparent to Ben Rothlisberger was traded to the in-state rival Philadelphia Eagles in an eyebrow-raising trade.
There are multiple reports that indicated that Pickett felt frustrated over the fact that the Steelers acquired former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson after he was cut by the Denver Broncos. There were also reports that he allegedly refused to dress near the end of the season as a backup.
And now J.J. Watt, the brother of Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, is speaking out and actually defending Pickett. During an interview with CBS Sports, Watt says that he can understand why Pickett may have felt frustrated with Steelers coaching and management.
"I'm sure he is frustrated. I'm sure he feels like he never got the full proper opportunity to show (his potential) and develop, which is a thing that's happening in this league. We are not giving guys time to develop, grow and fight through adversity and come out the other side, because it's such a win-now world that we live in. So, I don't blame him at all for wanting an opportunity to compete somewhere or go somewhere and try something new," Watt said.
"When you bring in a guy and say he's automatically the starter, and you don't even get a chance, I get it. I completely understand his side. But at the same time, I don't blame the Steelers at all. When an opportunity presents itself like that, a minimum contract for a guy that's won a Super Bowl, you've got to take it."
Watt also made it clear that he fully supports the Steelers bringing aboard Wilson after two disastrous years with the Broncos.
"I love it," he said. "They know they have an opportunity in Pittsburgh. They know that they need to make some moves to try to take that last step to make that jump. Basically, what they're saying to their fan base is, 'We're going all in to try and win. We want to win a Super Bowl. That's what we do here.' I think they've seen the narratives about no losing seasons but not making it past that first round of the playoffs. They're signifying to their fans, alright, we're going to go ahead and do it."
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