Many in and around the NFL are taking former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett to task lately, including former Steelers. The third-year quarterback requested a trade after the team signed QB Russell Wilson, he presumed, to take his job. Perhaps he hoped to land on a team a clearer path to a starting job, but he landed in Philly.
There are conflicting reports about whether the Steelers ever told Pickett that Wilson is the starter and he the backup. Either way, he clearly expected Wilson to start over him, prompting his request for a trade. Former Steelers WR Nate Washington sees this response as symptomatic of the changes in the college football landscape.
Responding to video of an answer Pickett gave to Philadelphia reporters yesterday about why he preferred to leave the Steelers, Washington said, “Transfer portal babies! Smdh”. For those not quite as hip and with it as myself, smdh is an acronym for shaking my damn head.
The NCAA established the transfer portal in 2018. In so many words, the portal allows student-athletes to declare their intention to change universities (e.g. teams). They inform their schools who then submit their name to an NCAA-wide database, allowing other schools to contact them.
Pickett never used the transfer portal himself, but he played in the “Transfer Era”, so to speak. Many of the “old school” mentality lament the transfer portal in combination with Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights. These two factors have greatly increased student-athlete movement among schools. Consequently, it has had a deleterious effect in some cases on year-to-year roster cohesion. Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban even seemed to suggest these factored into his decision to retire.
The Transfer Era in college sports is only an extension of a growing pattern we see in professional sports. More and more, athletes recognize the power that they hold if they are in a strong enough position. They have greater flexibility to force trades—but teams are also more willing to trade players for various reasons.
The Steelers decided to trade Pickett not so much because he forced them to but because they decided it was the right decision for the team. They didn’t like how he responded to the signing of Wilson, apparently, and took advantage of the opportunity.
Washington wasn’t simply mocking or attacking Kenny Pickett, however. He believes that Pickett made a decision he will struggle to stand by over time—hello, Le’Veon Bell. “He knows better and will regret his decision in the long run!”, he said in another tweet. Indeed, he’s been pretty active commenting on the Pickett situation since it unfolded:
