The Pittsburgh Steelers have genuinely tried to move on and let bygones be bygones, but they haven’t been able to escape Kenny Pickett. No matter what they do, their former quarterback never seems to be too far away. At some point, it may be time to consider a restraining order.
Pickett was the last player to have possession of the football in the 2024 season. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback took a knee from victory formation in Super Bowl LIX, sealing Philadelphia’s championship. Exactly one month later, the Eagles are trading him to a team where careers go to die.
Philadelphia traded Pickett to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Monday. The trade marks the second time that Pickett has been jettisoned by a team while still playing on his rookie contract, and he will now join his third team in a three-year span.
Kenny Pickett just can’t get away from the Steelers
Pickett will be forced out of Pennsylvania for the first time since 2017, but, in some ways, he’s closer to Pittsburgh than he was before. Pickett’s return to the AFC North guarantees that he’ll receive some quality time with the Steelers twice this upcoming season, including once in Acrisure Stadium.
Pickett grew up in Ocean Township, New Jersey, which is near the opposite end of Pennsylvania’s state lines. Since then, he slowly worked his way closer and closer to Pittsburgh. After initially committing to play for Temple University in Philadelphia, Pickett changed his commitment to the University of Pittsburgh, which shares Acrisure Stadium with the Steelers.
Just when the Steelers became desperate for a quarterback, the Pitt product declared for the 2022 NFL Draft. Despite being the top prospect in one of the weakest quarterback classes in recent history, Pickett slipped down the draft board. Either by coincidence or fate, he fell right into the Steelers’ lap at No. 20 overall, which was the lowest pick used to select the first quarterback in a draft class since 1997.
The Steelers were hoping that Pickett would develop into a local hometown hero, but they lost confidence in the young quarterback by his sophomore season. The Steelers sent Pickett to the opposite end of the state by trading him to the Eagles last offseason, and the quarterback seems to have gotten the better end of that deal.
Pickett has had quite an odd career. He was selected with the lowest pick of any top quarterback prospect in a draft class since 1997. He played in the same home stadium in college and as an NFL rookie. Despite being a first-round pick, he’s already been traded twice. He took a knee to win the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, only to be traded for a late-round pick on March 10. The Steelers whiffed on a first-round pick, but that same player won a Super Bowl ring while still playing on his rookie contract.
The Steelers are clearly connected with Pickett on some spiritual level, and their story is clearly far from over. Stay tuned for the next chapter.