The layers of the trade of Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles go beyond just his play on the field, as reportedly, his attitude during last season and into the offseason after the team signed Russell Wilson caused the team to move on.
The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan with Jeff Hathhorn this morning that the circumstances surrounding the trade are going to be a “black mark on his resume forever” due to the public perception that Pickett essentially quit when faced with legitimate competition.
“It’s a bad ending to what was a promising beginning here, and Kenny Pickett, like it or not, believe what you want to believe, if he was misled or felt like he wasn’t given a chance, this is going to be a black mark on his resume forever,” Kaboly said. “If you give up, and that’s the perception the public has, of he took his ball and went home because things got tough for him, people are not gonna ever let him down.”
Even if Pickett did feel misled after being told he was going to be the No. 2 quarterback to start in camp, I’m not sure what else he would’ve expected. Unless Pickett’s idea of competition was bringing in an equal or lesser quarterback or running it back with Mason Rudolph (which, to be fair, is what I expected to happen), he shouldn’t be surprised that bringing someone else in with a more accomplished resume would relegate him to No. 2 duty, albeit still with an outside chance to earn his job.
The public perception that Pickett ran from competition is always going to stick with him, and despite his status as a quarterback at Pitt who went next door to play with the Steelers, he won’t be revered in Pittsburgh like many thought when the team made him the No. 20 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. After just two seasons, Pickett now will find himself trying to revive his career as Jalen Hurts’ backup, with no clear path to starting anytime soon. We’ll see if he can make something of his NFL career after leaving Pittsburgh, but the odds are a lot lower now that he’s behind a young quarterback who’s already been to a Super Bowl.
Needless to say though, there won’t be much love lost for Pickett in Pittsburgh, and it’s an unfortunate end to his career in Pittsburgh. It certainly seems like he ran from the grind, and the Steelers will now look to rally behind Russell Wilson and hope he can lead them to his first playoff win since 2016.
