Kenny Pickett and the Philadelphia Eagles will play the Steelers in 2024, but don’t expect Pickett to have a chance to get revenge on his former team. After reportedly being traded to the Eagles, Pickett will back up Jalen Hurts and might also face competition for the backup role from Tanner McKee, whom the Eagles selected with the 188th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But it’s a notable matchup now for reasons besides the in-state rivalry as the Steelers sent Pickett to Philadelphia after just 24 starts as the team’s starting quarterback. Pickett was supposed to be Pittsburgh’s franchise guy with the team spending the 20th overall pick on the quarterback in 2022. He regressed in 2023 after a strong end to the 2022 season and reportedly his attitude wasn’t all that great.
Gerry Dulac reported today that Pickett did refuse to be the emergency third quarterback in Week 17 against Seattle, something Pickett strongly disputed, and said that his attitude after the team signed Russell Wilson caused him to be traded.
The Steelers-Eagles matchup now has an added layer to it with Wilson likely the unquestioned starter in Pittsburgh and Pickett likely holding a clipboard on Philadelphia’s sideline, barring injury.
We don’t know when that game will be, but 2024 is shaping up to be a season of revenge games. The Steelers play the Broncos, Wilson’s former team next season, while the Steelers will obviously also face the Baltimore Ravens twice, allowing newly signed linebacker Patrick Queen the opportunity to be the villain against his former team more than once.
Moving on from Pickett means the Steelers are left with Russell Wilson and Russell Wilson alone in the quarterback room. With the Steelers planning to bring four quarterbacks to training camp, the team will likely add another veteran free agent and potentially look to address the position in the draft. With the No. 98 overall pick now from Philadelphia in the Pickett trade, that could be a spot where the Steelers look to find a potential backup/developmental option at quarterback.
This offseason has been absolutely bananas for the Steelers. They brought in the highest-paid free agent in history in Queen, a new starting quarterback in Wilson, and have now traded away the guy who was supposed to be their future at quarterback just two seasons ago. And the NFL draft is still over a month away. Buckle up because this ride is going to get wild.
