Eagles backup quarterback Kenny Pickett has felt the heat of criticism his entire NFL career — and it’s only been two years.
After getting taken in the first round of the 2022 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pickett replaced the retired Ben Roethlisberger, who played 18 seasons (2004-21), won two Super Bowls and made six Pro Bowls in Pittsburgh.
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Steelers fans hoped Pickett could have similar success, but it never happened. Two years later, the Steelers gave up on Pickett, sending him to Philadelphia for a third-round pick and two sevenths in March. Now, Pickett will try to revive his NFL career and quiet the doubters in a less pressurized situation as he waits for his next opportunity to play.
“I think it’s a good reset,” Pickett told reporters at his introductory press conference. “It’s a crazy league and a crazy business. I’m going to try to put my best foot forward and be an asset for this team.”
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers traded Pickett because of how poorly he handled the arrival of quarterback Russell Wilson. Dulac also said the decision came following Pickett’s behavior last season when he refused to dress as the emergency third quarterback against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17.
Tony Racioppi, who has been Pickett’s private quarterbacks coach since college, doesn’t believe Pickett has a fragile ego or bad attitude.
“I would say the majority of those narratives were pushed by people. And they are 100 percent BS …,” Racioppi told NJ Advance Media this offseason. “I would put his leadership ability against anybody out there.”
This won’t be the first time Pickett has been doubted.
While playing for Ocean Township High School in New Jersey, Pickett, a three-star recruit, didn’t understand why he was ranked so low in comparison to other quarterbacks in his class.
He would check recruiting websites to see who was ranked higher than him. Then, Pickett would ask former Ocean Township head coach, Don Klein, if he could get him in the same group with those quarterbacks at recruiting camps.
Pickett outplayed many of the top quarterbacks in his recruiting class, nearly won a Heisman Trophy and finished as the all-time leader in passing yards (12,303) and passing touchdowns (81) for the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Even though he has surpassed expectations before, he doesn’t have the same amount of believers now.
The expectations fade for first-round quarterbacks who get benched and/or traded at the beginning of their careers. But the ones who stick are resilient.
“People need to be very, very, cautious if they’re going to bet against Kenny Pickett,” Klein told NJ Advance Media. “I’ve watched him time and time again rise to the occasion.
“When Kenny faces adversity, he does not run away from it. He runs towards it. And he runs towards it at 100 miles per hour. He always goes back to what has gotten him to this point. Which is hard work. There’s no entitlement. There’s no, ‘Hey, somebody else will figure it out.’ Kenny takes ownership of everything that he does in his life. He is critical where he needs to be critical.”
Unless quarterback Jalen Hurts gets injured, Pickett won’t play much next season, though the 26-year-old views this as an opportunity to extend his career.
“(Kenny and I) both know, especially with the quarterbacks now in the NFL, there’s a long road if you do it right,” Racioppi said. “The days of being 28 years old and out of the league are over. There are guys playing — we see it now — like (in their) late 30s, early 40s. If you get a second opportunity and take advantage of it, you can turn (that) into another ten years, eight years, whatever it’s going to be.”
Although Pickett cannot be absolved from his poor performances, the Steelers didn’t put him in a great situation to succeed. Matt Canada was considered one of the worst offensive coordinators in the league and got fired before the end of Pickett’s second season.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is known as one of the best play-callers, and the Eagles’ offense has more talent, too. Pickett can throw to A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Saquon Barkley, which comprise one of the best supporting casts in the league.
“I will always believe in that kid,” Racioppi said. “He has it. He has it physically. He has it mentally. He’s tough. He’s smart. There’s this work ethic to him. He has the talent and abilities. He has what you want.
“So much of that league is (the) right place, right time (and) wrong place, wrong time. There’s so many cases that point to that.”
Pickett has a 14-10 record, but he wasn’t given a lot of credit in those wins and was blamed for a lot of the losses. He also dealt with injuries, including getting ankle surgery in December.
Pickett has 13 passing touchdowns and 4,474 passing yards through two years and has a low QBR (53.6 in 2022 and 38.1 in 2023).
If he gets another opportunity to start, Pickett will have to be more efficient.
“When he finds out things that need to be improved, he attacks those things to make them strengths,” Klein said. “I think a lot of the naysayers, some of the rhetoric and some of the things that are out there have fueled him to come back as the best version of himself.”
Klein doesn’t understand why people have criticized Pickett’s attitude and leadership skills. Through the years, he has watched players gravitate toward Pickett.
“It amazes me some of the things that were said. In my experience, there is not one iota of truth to any of those things,” Klein said. “As a teammate, he was beloved. He’s been beloved everywhere. He was beloved here in high school. His teammates loved him and had great respect for him.
“Kenny has a really, really, unique ability to relate to everybody in the room. So no matter what your interests are and what your background is, Kenny can relate to that person in some capacity.”
Pickett, who grew up an Eagles fan, described getting traded to his favorite team as a “full-circle moment” when he spoke to reporters in March.
When he was asked about what happened in Pittsburgh that led to his trade, Pickett said there was some “communication behind closed doors,” which led to the move.
Before training camp starts next month, Pickett will continue to work with Racioppi each week — with the goal of making the most of his next opportunity.
“At the end of day, that’s what we’re hoping for, whether it’s in Philly or somewhere else,” Racioppi said. “You’re looking for an opportunity at some point. And when you get it, you have to take advantage of it.”
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Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription. Cayden Steele may be reached at CSteele@njadvancemedia.com
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