The surprising Kenny Pickett trade to the Philadelphia Eagles from the Pittsburgh Steelers Friday night is now official.
The Steelers officially announced the move Saturday afternoon. Pittsburgh landed the No. 98 overall pick in April’s 2024 NFL Draft and two seventh-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Steelers sent Pickett and the No. 120 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to the Eagles.
Pickett was reportedly not happy with the Steelers agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran quarterback Russell Wilson Sunday night. After believing he’d get a chance to compete for the job but then finding out that Wilson would get the first crack in Organized Team Activities, Pickett reportedly requested a trade, which landed him in Philadelphia with the team he rooted for in his childhood.
The acquisition of No. 98 overall is near the end of the third round, giving the Steelers two third-round picks, No. 84 overall and No. 98. The Steelers previously had two fourth-round picks, No. 119 and 120 overall, but the trade of Pickett to Philadelphia cost the Eagles No. 120.
In just 25 games (24 starts) with the Steelers, Pickett—the former No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft—threw for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
Outside of Pickett reportedly asking to move on following the acquisition of Wilson, the way he handled competition being brought in with Wilson was done “poorly,” according to the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac. That came on the heels of the reported incident in Seattle in which he allegedly refused to be the backup to Mason Rudolph, an incident Pickett vehemently denied.
Pickett reportedly felt misled by the Steelers recently and that was capped off by the signing of Wilson. Now, instead of potentially having a chance to compete for the starting job, Pickett heads to Philadelphia as the backup to former MVP finalist Jalen Hurts.
The Steelers, on the other hand, have only Wilson on the roster at quarterback and now need to find not only a No. 2 to back him up but also to plug the No. 3 and No. 4 roles for the offseason, as the Steelers like to carry four quarterbacks into training camp.
