Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is back in the AFC North. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Philadelphia Eagles are trading Pickett to the Cleveland Browns for a 2025 fifth-round pick and QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Nearly one year ago, Pittsburgh dealt Pickett to Philadelphia. On March 16, 2024, the Steelers sent Pickett and a fourth-round pick for a third-round pick and two future seventh-round selections for the 2025 NFL Draft. It came just two years after Pittsburgh made him the face of the franchise, drafting him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. But his career didn’t meet expectations, hampered by a lack of elite physical tools, accuracy, and an offense that did little to support him.
After Pittsburgh signed Russell Wilson, Kenny Pickett requested and received a trade.
He spent the 2024 season backing up Eagles’ starter Jalen Hurts. In the regular season, Pickett appeared in five games and made one start when Hurts missed time due to a concussion. He finished the year completing 59.5 percent of his passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Pickett won his lone start, a blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys, though he didn’t finish the game due to injury.
Pickett appeared in two of Philadelphia’s playoff games, including logging mop-up duty with seven offensive snaps in their Super Bowl stomping of the Kansas City Chiefs. Pickett threw one pass that fell incomplete.
Now, he’s back in the AFC North for a Browns team with few options at quarterback. Jameis Winston is expected to leave in free agency, while Deshaun Watson tore his Achilles twice in 2024, leaving his status in doubt for 2025. Pickett could wind up competing and winning the starting job, though Cleveland is likely to add competition and will be in the quarterback market when it comes to the NFL Draft. They hold the No. 2 overall pick.
The Steelers and Browns will face each other twice in the regular season. The exact dates will be announced when the schedule is released in May.
