QB Kenny Pickett reveals 'ultimate goal' after signing with Panthers

2022 first-round draft pick Kenny Pickett has become somewhat of a journeyman quarterback, and he recently signed a one-year contract to join a Carolina Panthers team that has Bryce Young cemented atop its depth chart this offseason. 

While speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Pickett touched upon wanting to follow in the footsteps of so-called reclamation-project quarterbacks who flopped with teams before establishing themselves as winning players at the sport's most important position. 

Kenny Pickett still sees becoming a franchise QB as the "ultimate goal"

"That’s the ultimate goal," Pickett said about eventually receiving a full-time starting job, per Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer. "Things happen in this league, and you just keep working because you never know when that opportunity is going to come. I just want to be as prepared as I can be; you never know when that’s going to happen."

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders have all moved on from Pickett in different ways since Pittsburgh made him the 20th overall pick of the 2022 draft. Most recently, he went 1-1 across two starts with the Raiders this past season. Las Vegas is widely expected to make Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza the first overall pick of this year's draft.

As it pertains to Young, he helped the 2025 Panthers claim the NFC South division title via tiebreaker advantage with a record of 8-9. Some still question whether or not he has the goods to become a top-tier quarterback at the highest level, but there's currently no indication that Panthers general manager Dan Morgan wants anyone else other than Young as the team's QB1 heading into springtime workouts. 

Kenny Pickett ready for a different type of QB competition

Pickett seemingly isn't promised the Carolina QB2 job, as he may have to compete with veteran Andy Dalton for that gig later this summer. Pickett sounds ready for such a battle. 

"I think it’s more a media/fan spectacle than it is a player deal," Pickett said about competing for his place with Carolina. "Regardless if you’re in a competition or not, you’re showing up to compete. Nothing really changes. At least from my point of view. I’m going in there to be the best player I can be to try to improve. So that’s the same if there is a competition or if there isn’t. I don’t think my life changes too much."

Pickett hopes that how he's viewed by teams will change at some point down the road, but he will first need to focus on simply remaining in the league through the summer of 2026.