First Call: Steelers have interest in veteran receiver; Kenny Pickett posts farewell to Pittsburgh

Monday’s “First Call” features Kenny Pickett’s farewell to Pittsburgh. Jerome Bettis’ son has made his college football destination known. It looks like the Steelers want to add another veteran wide receiver.

Jake Guentzel has scored his first goal for the Carolina Hurricanes. And Duquesne had a rough trip back to Pittsburgh after winning the Atlantic-10 Tournament.

Departing Pickett

Former Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett posted a farewell to Pittsburgh on Instagram. The Steelers traded him to Philadelphia on Friday.

The Pitt grad uploaded an image of himself in a Steelers uniform but didn’t mention the Steelers by name.

Now, the Ocean Township, New Jersey native says he is excited to head down the turnpike and join the team he rooted for as a child.

“Thank you, Pittsburgh!” Pickett wrote. “I came to this city 7 years ago and my life changed forever. Grateful for all of the amazing people I was fortunate enough to cross paths with, and for all of those who supported me along the way. I made life-long friendships and relationships that I will always cherish. Now, I am honored and excited for the next opportunity in my career – being able to play for the team that helped me find my love for the game as a kid. Go Birds!! ”

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A post shared by Kenny Pickett (@kennypickett8)

Pickett reportedly requested the trade after the Steelers acquired Russell Wilson. Then the club traded for Justin Fields.

Pickett’s Steelers career ends after just 24 starts, despite being a first-round pick in 2022.

Another Bus stops in South Bend

Steelers Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis played his college football at Notre Dame. Now “The Bus’” son will do the same thing.

According to ESPN.com, Jerome Bettis, Jr. has committed to Notre Dame over Duke, Texas A&M and Mississippi.

Unlike his dad, Bettis Jr. plays wide receiver. Bettis posted about the news on social media.

pic.twitter.com/JcZVgKctla

— Jerome Bettis Jr (@jeromebettisjr) March 17, 2024

Bettis Jr. is taller and leaner than his dad. He is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds and played his high school football at Woodward Academy in Georgia.

Looking for splash

The Steelers still have a big hole at wide receiver. Even though they acquired Van Jefferson last week, they still need a legit second option outside beyond George Pickens.

Maybe that guy can be Mike Williams. The former Los Angeles Charger is scheduled for a visit to Pittsburgh this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The Jets and Panthers are also said to be in the mix, and the Chargers may want to bring him back even though they released him on March 13.

Former Chargers’ WR Mike Williams is scheduled to visit this week with the Jets, Panthers and Steelers, per source. Jets up first with Williams arriving Monday night.

Also, with the Chargers having traded WR Keenan Allen, they also are interested in bringing back Williams.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 17, 2024

When Williams is healthy, he is a big-play, down-the-field threat. He has a 15.6 yards per reception average.

But the 30-year-old has struggled with knee and back injuries throughout his career. He tore an ACL in Week 3 last year. Two years ago, when Williams played 16 games, he totaled 1,146 yards on 76 catches, nine of which went for touchdowns.

Jake shakes it up

Former Penguin Jake Guentzel scored his first goal as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. It happened during a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators.

Guentzel took a long cross-ice breakout pass, streaked by a Senator down the left wing and fired a shot to the far side, beating goalie Anton Forsberg.

GUENTZEL IS A HURRICANE

That's his first goal with the @Canes! pic.twitter.com/j80DnUPq0k

— NHL (@NHL) March 18, 2024

For Guentzel that’s five points in four games with Carolina. The Canes are 3-1 in games that he has played since the trade with the Penguins two weeks ago.

Guentzel has 22 goals and 33 assists on the season.

Keeping a sense of humor

A lot went right for the Duquesne men’s basketball team this weekend in Brooklyn. They won four games in a row and claimed the Atlantic-10 championship.

Just about the only thing that went wrong was the trip home. The team went through numerous delays getting back to Pittsburgh and didn’t land until 3 a.m. One issue was that the team charter was deemed to be too heavy for the flight home. So it sat on the runway waiting to be get more fuel to make it back to Pittsburgh.

Jk. We need 3,000 more pounds of fuel.

We BELIEVE we will get home today. https://t.co/W8qd4S6gtp

— Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) March 18, 2024

Senior forward Tre Williams had a good explanation for the weight issue.

Carrying some heavy hardware home ???? https://t.co/x2Ld7AbOtt

— Tre williams (@Treauhn) March 18, 2024

The Dukes now have to spin around and head out on Tuesday for a first-round NCAA Tournament date with BYU in Omaha. That’ll be Duquesne’s first NCAA Tournament game since 1977. Tipoff is Thursday at 12:40 p.m.