Kenny Pickett pens farewell to Pittsburgh in wake of trade to Philadelphia
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Kenny Pickett has written a farewell message to the city of Pittsburgh following Friday's trade that dealt him to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In a post on Instagram, Pickett spoke about how he came to Pittsburgh seven years ago and is grateful for everyone he crossed paths with and for everyone who supported him along the way.
Pickett says he's excited to be able to play for the Eagles, the team that he says helped him find love for football as a kid.
The farewell post on Instagram did not specifically mention the Steelers.
Recapping the trade that dealt Pickett to Philadelphia
On Friday afternoon, the Steelers traded Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a number of draft picks.
The trade came just hours after veteran quarterback Russell Wilson was introduced as the newest member of the Steelers.
The plan was for Kenny Pickett to compete with Wilson for the starting position, but the Post-Gazette reported citing sources, that the team traded Pickett because of the way he "was poorly handling the arrival of Russell Wilson."
When Pickett was injured last season, third-stringer Mason Rudolph led the Steelers to the playoffs after an ineffective Mitch Trubisky was benched. Rudolph, a free agent, is reportedly signing with the Tennessee Titans, and Trubisky was released by the team in February. He signed with the Buffalo Bills.
Pickett was selected No. 20 overall by the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh after Ben Roethlisberger's retirement.
During his time in Pittsburgh, Pickett had 24 starts, going 14-10. He threw 4,474 yards for 13 touchdowns and had 13 interceptions. He had ankle surgery in December and stayed on the sidelines as Rudolph took over. Dulac also reported that Pickett refused to dress in Week 17 against Seattle.
