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It’s been an eventful two years for former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett.
After the Steelers went 3-0 down the stretch to close the 2023 season under Mason Rudolph, clinching a playoff berth in the process, the writing appeared to be on the wall for the University of Pittsburgh product. The Steelers signed Russell Wilson on the first day of the 2024 league year, which led to Pickett requesting a trade. Pittsburgh sent him to Philadelphia, and he was the backup quarterback to Jalen Hurts when the Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
In the 2025 offseason, Pickett was traded once again, as he was dealt to the Cleveland Browns for a fourth-round pick. According to Pickett’s former college coach, Pat Narduzzi, the trade away from Philadelphia is a move that Pickett wanted very badly.
“The Eagles did not want to trade him,” Narduzzi said on 99.9 The Fan. “He begged to be traded because he wanted to compete, and he felt like he wasn’t going to have a chance to beat out Jalen Hurts.”
Pickett competed throughout the spring and summer of 2025 to be the Browns’ starter alongside Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. When it was made clear Flacco would be the starter, the Browns traded Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders. He now finds himself with the Carolina Panthers after signing as a free agent.
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