The Pittsburgh Steelers went from a legitimate quarterback competition between Russell Wilson and Kenny Pickett to sending Pickett across Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia Eagles. How did this come together so quickly? According to Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac, this trade was prompted by Pickett’s behavior at the end of last season as well as how he handled the news of Wilson joining the team.
Last season was a nightmare for Pickett and by extension the Steelers offense. When Pickett suffered his high ankle sprain he had a tightrope procedure to try and get back on the field sooner. But because Mason Rudolph played so well in his absence, the team opted to leave him sidelined and according to Dulac, Pickett refused to dress for the team’s Week 17 game because he was healthy but would have been listed as the emergency quarterback.
The Steelers made the move because of the way Pickett was poorly handling the arrival of Russell Wilson, according to sources. That came on the heels of Pickett's behavior last season when he refused to dress as the emergency third quarterback in Seattle in Week 17. https://t.co/mirLR1UJFP
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 15, 2024
We don’t know the details of conversations this offseason but no one should be surprised that Pickett was upset about the team signing Wilson. Here is what NFL reporter Tom Pelissero reported about how everything went down.
Mike Tomlin had promised Kenny Pickett he’d get a chance to compete. Pickett learned about the Russell Wilson signing on social media Sunday night. When they spoke the next morning, Tomlin told Pickett that Wilson was in pole position and would get the first reps. So, Pickett asked for a trade. Now he’s an Eagle.
