Kenny Pickett miscalculated Steelers tenure, now in worse situation with Eagles

Kenny Pickett is no longer a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Two years after drafting him in the first round, Pittsburgh traded Pickett within the state of Pennsylvania to the Philadelphia Eagles. Pickett may now be with the team he grew up rooting for, but is he really better off? 

After the initial shock of the news on Friday, reports began to circulate that Pickett actually asked to be traded. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Pickett did not demand a trade, but made it clear to the Steelers he would prefer to be elsewhere after the signing of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson. 

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette also offered that the Steelers were growing sick of Pickett's behavior, confirming past reports that he refused to dress as the third-string quarterback behind both Mason Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky during the Week 17 game in Seattle.  

All in all, it sounds as if both parties are happy about the divorce. And that makes this whole situation more surreal based on the immense fanfare that accompanied Pickett starting his NFL career in the same city he became a star in college. Pickett's time with the Steelers shows success in college only goes so far and doesn't earn anyone anything once a professional. 

To put it simply, Pickett bet on himself and lost. Pickett provided some fun moments and did show some flashes of potential, but he did not perform well enough to warrant acting entitled. Pickett's Steelers career ends with only 13 touchdowns to go along with 13 interceptions in 24 starts. Some may argue he needed more time to progress, granted first-round quarterbacks are rarely afforded the luxury of time in today's NFL. Others feel poor coaching, namely former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, stunted his development.  

But regardless of anyone's opinion, if Pickett's issues were about playing time, his chances of earning more have drastically decreased after the trade. While Wilson, despite being a shell of the player he once was with the Seahawks, still played better than Pickett in 2023 and would've likely won the starting job, he wasn't going to provide nearly as big of an obstacle as Jalen Hurts will in Philadelphia.  

Hurts, 25, is the same age as Pickett. However, unlike the former Pitt star, he has already achieved NFL success - reaching the Super Bowl two seasons ago. Most importantly, Philadelphia is invested in Hurts as the face of the franchise, while the Steelers only signed Wilson to a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. 

There's plenty of blame to go around for why Pickett failed with the Steelers. But the reason Pickett's NFL future is now in doubt and he experienced a fall from grace in Pittsburgh is mostly about his ego.