Kenny Pickett was supposed to be the guy for Pittsburgh, but it seems that isn’t the case.
On Friday afternoon, Howie Roseman made a savvy move to sure up their depth at quarterback by acquiring the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft for just a pick swap after Russell Wilson went to the Steelers.
Trade: Steelers are sending QB Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles in a pick swap, sources tell ESPN.
Once Pittsburgh signed Russell Wilson, Pickett preferred to move on. pic.twitter.com/cvsAP2e8lB
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2024
Pickett isn’t going to compete to start in Philadelphia, but he’s certainly a wise backup option for the team as he not only has two years of cost control that will keep his cap hit below that of the average free agent quarterback, but will also provide the team with a fifth-year option to consider if things go well.
Howie Roseman is taking advantage of Russell Wilson heading to Pittsburgh with this move as Pickett did not want to remain with the Steelers after that.
Despite being only a part-time starter over the last two years, he’s put up over 2,000 yards in each season in the league. The concern is, of course, his 13-13 touchdown to interception ratio.
The Eagles are hoping that with a superior offensive line and their vastly superior talent at the skill positions, Pickett will be a far more effective option in their offense than he was in an offense who just traded away one of their top two receivers for character issues because their other top receiver also has character issues and they didn’t want one to feed off the other.
Pickett grew up in New Jersey as an Eagles fans, so now gets to play for his “hometown” team.
Update: The Eagles are moving back 22 spots by trading out of the third round for one of the first day three picks in this year’s draft. The Eagles will also be sending their top two seventh-round picks in next year’s draft to Pittsburgh.
The full trade compensation:
— #Eagles get QB Kenny Pickett and the Steelers original 4th round pick (120 overall) in 2024.
— #Steelers get Eagles 3rd round comp pick (98 overall) and the Eagles highest two 7th round draft picks in 2025.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2024
So, the Eagles will probably hope to see Pickett’s value rise over preseasons and if he has to play and regular season snaps and hope to either land a third-round comp pick or trade him for something more than two seventh-round picks before his contract expires.
