PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 28: Kenny Pickett #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers throws a pass during the third quarter against the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium on August 28, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an active off-season. The team signed former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos quarterback Russel Wilson. Veterans Allen Robinson Jr. and Patrick Peterson were released and controversial wideout Dionte Johnson was traded. There seems to be a shift in the direction the front office wants to take the franchise and that continued last week when 2023 starting quarterback Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Pittsburgh would trade Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round draft pick to Philadelphia for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks. Pickett had been the main man under center for the Steelers for much of the last two seasons, recording a 14-10 record in his career with the team.
However, he lost the starting job last season to backup Mason Rudolph, who led the team on a late-season run to make the AFC Playoffs. Pickett only posted 2,070 yards, six touchdown passes and four interceptions before having injury issues and losing his starting gig to Rudolph.
However, there seems to be more to the story than the Steelers moving on from a subpar quarterback. The Athletic reporter Mark Kaboly said that the team was trying to cleanse the locker room of players who were unhappy or ruffled feathers in the organization. Pickett voluntarily did not suit up as a backup in Week 17 after he was demoted to No. 3 on the depth chart and was reportedly disgruntled over the signing of Wilson. This kind of attitude is something the Steelers seemed to want to move on from, and the trade signaled that possible conclusion.
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Pickett’s negative behavior stemming from the signing of Wilson also contributed to more drama and uneasiness within the organization, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Gerry Dulac, factoring into his trade.
There seems to be more to the story about Pickett than his on-the-field performance. Ultimately, he will now suit up for the Eagles, the team he grew up rooting for.
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