Kenny Pickett responds to multiple controversial reports

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Mar 18, 2024 2:49 PM ET

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was introduced as the newest member of the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

He spent some of the news conference discussing how "surreal" it felt to join the team he grew up rooting for, but Pickett was also faced with addressing multiple reports that don't paint him in the best light.

The 25-year-old first talked about reports that he'd handled the recent news of the Steelers signing Russell Wilson poorly.

"It is what it is. (The communication) was behind closed doors. I'm confident in the way that I handled it," Pickett said. "I handled it the way I should've handled it. I'm excited to be here. It worked out so well that Philly was the place I ended up landed in, so, I think everything happens for a reason and I'm right where I'm supposed to be."

The second topic stemmed from reports in late December and early January which said that Pickett had refused to dress as Pittsburgh's third quarterback for their Week 17 contest against the Seattle Seahawks.

The 2022 first-round pick started the Steelers' first 12 games last season but suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 13, leading to his early departure. Pickett underwent surgery and upon his return to health had been supplanted by Mason Rudolph atop the depth chart and didn't take another snap last winter.

"That goes back to a lot of the communication behind closed doors that didn't go the way that I feel how it was getting released," the signal-caller said. "There was a plan there for (Week 17). It went down exactly the way it was planned to go down that entire week. I was coming off the ankle surgery so, it is what it is and like I've been saying, I'm very happy to be here."

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