Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett doesn't seem to have any hard feelings toward Ben Roethlisberger for his recent controversial comments. Ben Roethlisberger told Kenny Pickett that he initially wasn't rooting for him at the start of his NFL career. When asked at Steelers OTAs about what his predecessor said, the current Pittsburgh quarterback appeared to appreciate Roethlisberger's candor.

“He’s honest and out front about it,” Pickett said of Roethlisberger's, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s a fan now and he’s pulling for us. It was pretty cool to hear him say that and to be at his house and to meet his kids and his wife and get to know him a little bit better. We’ll continue to build that relationship, and I’ll reach out if I have any questions.

“I’m excited to go into Year Two with another guy in my corner pulling for me.”

Roethlisberger told Pickett that he was hoping he didn't have an amazing start to his career because he feared he would be forgotten in Pittsburgh. The retired quarterback said he began to root for Pickett once his successor started playing.

Shortly after Roethlisberger retired at the end of the 2021 season, the Steelers selected Pickett with the No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Mitchell Trubisky was the Steelers' starting quarterback for the first four games of the 2022 season. Pickett replaced Trubisky in the starting lineup in Week 5. As a rookie, Pickett went 7-5, leading the Steelers to yet another winning season.

The two quarterbacks appear to have a good relationship after Pickett's first year in Pittsburgh.