Steelers' Mike Tomlin doesn't dub Kenny Pickett 'franchise quarterback' just yet

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Kenny Pickett ended his first season with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the starting quarterback as he climbed up to the top of the depth chart over Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph.

As Pittsburgh looked toward 2023, coach Mike Tomlin stopped short of calling Pickett the franchise quarterback after just one season.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett meets with reporters following an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

"You know, I don't know what you guys mean by franchise quarterback. Is he our QB1? Yes. But there's a lot of silly responsibility that comes with that term," Tomlin said when asked about whether he considered Pickett the "franchise quarterback." "Everybody thinks they've got one, but not everybody has one and all of that. He's our starting quarterback. I'm not going to saddle him with that cliche that's overused in our game, in our business too much these days."

Pickett got his first start of the season in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills. He threw for 327 yards and an interception in a 38-3 loss. He would lead the Steelers to a win over Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the following week 20-18.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) looks to pass while pressured by Cleveland Browns defensive end Alex Wright (94) during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023.  (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

Tomlin said he had no regrets about the process that led Pickett to starting in the fifth week rather than the first week of the season.

"I think his development is a process, and we've said throughout, I've thought his development took off once he started getting into stadiums in the preseason, so there was a process there. He was playing in the third groups," Tomlin said. "He was playing in the second groups. We gave him some first-group exposure. Preseason football is different than regular season football; let's be honest. So, he bided his time and worked in a regular football season environment, and when he had an opportunity, when it presented itself, he showed that he belonged, and he continued to get better in that space. As I look back at it, I don't know that I have any second thoughts or regrets about the process or how it transpired as I sit here right now. 

"Maybe I'll think differently as I analyze it in an end-of-season kind of way in the upcoming weeks, but knee-jerk reaction to your question, no, I don't have any regrets about it as I stand here this morning."

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) throws against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of an NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.  (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

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Pickett finished with 2,404 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also had three touchdowns on the ground and was 7-5 as a starter for Pittsburgh.