Video: Steelers' Kenny Pickett Slams Rumors He Refused to Back Up Mason Rudolph

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett refuted a rumor he objected to being the backup to Mason Rudolph in what proved to be a 30-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Mark Madden of 105.9 The X in Pittsburgh reported Monday that Pickett "100 percent refused to be the backup."

Pickett addressed the story Tuesday and said the narrative amounted to "attacking my character and how I am as a person."

"There was no talk of me being a backup quarterback this week in terms of being a 2," he said. "If I was healthy enough to play, if the trainers and coaches felt I looked good enough to play, I was going to start and play. If they believe I was not, which they believed I was not, I was not going to dress and suit up for the game."

Pickett hasn't played since a Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 3 due to a high ankle sprain. He was limited in practice for all of last week and was officially listed as questionable in Pittsburgh's injury report.

Pointing to the ankle injury as the reason he didn't dress is a perfectly plausible explanation.

Chris Mueller of 93.7 The Fan provided more context, though, and reported the decision wasn't entirely down to Pickett's ankle trouble:

Pickett's assertion that he would've started against Seattle if fully cleared also raised some eyebrows.

If that were the case, then the coaching staff has reversed course.

Rudolph went 18-of-24 for 274 yards against Seattle, after having thrown for 290 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-11 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. In what's admittedly a small sample, the Steelers' passing game is looking stronger now than it has all year.

That's why it didn't come as a surprise when head coach Mike Tomlin said Monday he was keeping Rudolph as the starter despite Pickett being expected to make a full return to practice:

Pickett still has two more guaranteed years left on his rookie contract, and you'd expect him to have the inside track on the starting job in 2024.

But this story could generate some intrigue about how the Steelers will look to fill out their quarterback room in the offseason.