After two mediocre seasons in Pittsburgh, Kenny Pickett was ready to depart the Steelers — as well as most of the
reasons he wanted out — rather than stay and compete with Russell Wilson for the starting quarterback position.
All Pickett wants now is a chance to contribute with the Philadelphia Eagles after being traded last week.
Pickett, a New Jersey native, rattled off a number of Eagles greats, including Donovan McNabb and Brian
Westbrook, whom he grew up cheering for at the Linc. He had “great memories” of traveling to games with his father
and grandfather since he was five years old, and the opportunity to rush out of the home team tunnel — and cut his
parents’ commute time by nearly 8 hours round trip — thrilled him.
Pickett, 25, later stated that he had only “great memories” of his Steelers’ run.
Pickett was mainly elusive about why he wanted to play elsewhere, but the reasons were very obvious.
Pickett was traded just hours after the Steelers signed Wilson to a one-year contract to compete with Pickett for the
starting job, despite all indications that Wilson had the advantage when the team arrived for training camp at Saint
Vincent College in July.
When asked if he anticipated to be the starter during his introductory news conference, Wilson declined, but noted
that he and Pickett had spoken quickly after Wilson agreed to terms with the organization, stating they were both
focused on making the Steelers better.
In Pittsburgh, the Wilson-Pickett duo lasted less than a Jaromir Jagr bobblehead.
“I just thought it was time,” Pickett explained Monday. “Based on what had happened, it just felt like the right time. I
wanted to go somewhere else and advance my career.”
Some observers chastised Pickett for allegedly declining to compete with Wilson for the starting position. In
Philadelphia, he is the undisputed No. 2 quarterback behind Jalen Hurts, who guided the Eagles to the Super Bowl
two seasons ago. Pickett is a cheap backup, costing slightly less than $2 million against the Eagles’ salary cap this
season.
