NFL Rumors: Kenny Pickett Traded from Steelers to Eagles amid Russell Wilson Contract

The Pittsburgh Steelers are moving on from quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Pittsburgh is trading Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles in a deal that also includes draft picks, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Pickett “preferred to move on” after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson, Schefter added.

Here’s a breakdown of the deal, per Schefter.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette added that the Steelers decided to trade Pickett because he “was poorly handling” the arrival of Wilson.

“That came on the heels of Pickett’s behavior last season when he refused to dress as the emergency third quarterback in Seattle in Week 17,” Dulac added.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer corroborated Dulac’s report:

The Steelers selected Pickett with the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Pitt.

He put together a rough rookie season, completing 63.0 percent of his passes for 2,404 yards and seven touchdowns against nine interceptions in 13 games, in addition to rushing for 237 yards and three scores.

The 25-year-old didn’t show many signs of improvement during the 2023 campaign, either, as Pittsburgh’s offense struggled as a whole.

Pickett underwent tightrope surgery on his ankle on Dec. 4 following a Week 13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. While he wasn’t placed on injured reserve, he missed matchups against the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals because of the ailment.

The injury was a tough blow to Pickett and the Steelers as he had done enough to keep the team in playoff contention through 12 games despite his performance not meeting expectations.

Pickett led the Steelers to a 7-5 record through Pittsburgh’s first 12 games. He completed 62 percent of his passes for 2,070 yards and six touchdowns against four interceptions in that span, in addition to rushing for 54 yards and one score.

While Pickett was sidelined, Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph got to start, and the Steelers finished the season with a 10-7 record, securing a playoff berth for the first time since the 2021 season.

Pittsburgh ultimately fell to the Buffalo Bills in the wild card round, and it was clear some changes would be made this offseason to improve the offense.

The Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year deal earlier this week after his release from the Denver Broncos, and he was expected to compete with Pickett for the team’s starting job.

However, it’s likely Wilson, a 12-year NFL veteran and Super Bowl champion, would have won the job.

“I wanted to be able to win championships with Coach Tomlin and these guys in the locker room,” Wilson told reporters Friday. “… It’s a great place to be grateful for the opportunity to be able to get after it and do what we came here to do. And that’s to win football games.”

With Wilson now projected to be Pittsburgh’s starter, the Steelers need to sign a backup. Trubisky already agreed to a deal with the Buffalo Bills, but Rudolph remains available.

As for Pickett, he will now backup two-time Pro Bowler Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.