Kenny Pickett eager to embrace change with Philadelphia Eagles

Steelers fans, remember Kenny Pickett? With all the changes at quarterback, folks probably forgot about the now-former Pittsburgh starter.

He’s now 300 miles away in Philadelphia, readying for Eagles training camp. Philly is closer to where Pickett grew up in New Jersey. In fact, Pickett participated in a symposium earlier this week at a high school in his new city. Football players from Ocean Township High School, where Pickett played, came to hear him speak.

The former Steelers quarterback also took questions from those attending the event. Of course, change was a big theme.

“Change is a great thing,” Pickett told the attendees. “I’m going through it right now. I was in Pittsburgh for seven years and now I’m over in Philadelphia. . . . I think a lot of people probably have some negative views on change, but that’s really just your outlook on it. (And) I think if you keep a positive mindset, it’ll all work out for the better.”

There is massive change in Pickett’s life. As he said, he lived in Pittsburgh for seven years. Not all that time was with the Steelers. He started out playing for the Pitt Panthers. Then in 2022, the Steelers selected Pickett in the first round of the NFL Draft. He was set to be the team’s future. And Pickett seemed perfect as the local kid now leading one of the greatest sports franchises in the country.

But the funny thing about futures is they can change in a blink. Pickett flailed some last season. Then he hurt his ankle in week 13 and needed surgery to help it heal. Although he was active by week 18, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin kept Mason Rudolph as the starter.

In the off season, Pittsburgh signed Russell Wilson in free agency and traded for Justin Fields from the Bears. They did a complete overhaul of the quarterback room. The Steelers declined to sign Rudolph and Mitch Trubisky. Also in March, they traded Pickett and a fourth-round draft pick to the Eagles, swapping their former starter for a third-rounder in April’s draft and two seventh-rounders for next year. The player the Steelers selected with the Eagles draft pick was linebacker Payton Wilson.

And part of the change for Pickett is a change in status. He’s now the backup to Jalen Hurts. But for the most part, the Eagles have had more recent success than the Steelers. Philly made the Super Bowl two years ago. They seemed destined for the same path last season until the wheels, inexplicably, came off. Rather than the Super Bowl, the Eagles’ season ended with a first-round playoff loss to the Buccaneers.

Back at the symposium, fans asked Pickett about how his career ended with the Steelers. He said he plans to ignore the criticism.

“The world has enough doubters,” Pickett said. “There are plenty of people that are doubting. That’s probably the majority of people that are out there in the media, fan bases. But … coaches, family members, if you turn your mind around and try and prove them right and what they believe in you, you’ll be in a more positive mindset.”

Pickett and the Eagles start training camp July 23. The Steelers start the next day.