Did the Philadelphia Eagles give QB Kenny Pickett a petty game ball after they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers? One wonders, but it matters not. Pickett was an irrelevance, a non-story in the game as the backup to Eagles QB Jalen Hurts.
Given his connection to Pittsburgh and to the Steelers in particular, however, Pickett wasn’t going to go completely anonymous. After the game, he did speak to Johnny McGonigal of PennLive about his first game against Pittsburgh since requesting a trade from the Steelers
“It was definitely a little weird”, Pickett admitted about facing the Steelers, who drafted him in the first round in 2022 with the 20th overall pick. “But life goes on. I’m enjoying it here. Got a bunch of family close by, so it’s been good”.
A New Jersey native, Kenny Pickett grew up an Eagles fan. He attended college at Pitt, however, which shares facilities with the Steelers. They got an up-close view of his college development and felt confident in selecting him. After two years and a 14-10 record, however, they wanted to at least challenge if not replace him.
While the rest is speculation, what we know is the Steelers robustly pursued Russell Wilson this offseason. Would they have done so without his unconventional contract circumstances that allowed him to sign for the veteran minimum? Would Pickett still be here had they not had that opportunity?
It doesn’t matter at this point. Kenny Pickett never led the Steelers to the Super Bowl, but it turns out, the Super Bowl is the friends we made along the way. Or something. Seeing Pittsburgh, he had the opportunity to catch up with many old faces.
McGonigal mentions TE Pat Freiermuth, K Chris Boswell, and WR Calvin Austin III among former Steelers with whom Pickett met before the Steelers played the Eagles on Sunday. He also reportedly called senior offensive assistant Mike Sullivan a “special guy”. Sullivan was his quarterbacks coach the past two seasons. Of course, he also spoke with HC Mike Tomlin, but nobody thought to ask Tomlin about Pickett.
Pickett did say that “it was great” to see his former Steelers teammates and coaches. While he did what he felt was best for his career in requesting a trade, he has no hard feelings, it seems, at least with those on the field. “They obviously have a great team”, he said of the Steelers. “I’m sure both teams will be playing in the postseason.”
Pickett has played all of 28 offensive snaps this year as Hurts’ backup. He is 1-of-3 passing for five yards, taking one sack. He also has three rushes for minus-one yard, two of which were kneel downs. He did convert on 4th and 1 on his lone genuine rushing attempt. With the Steelers, he rushed for 291 yards on 97 attempts with four touchdowns.
