Kenny Pickett embracing change, ignoring doubters with move from Pittsburgh to Philly

Things will look different for quarterback Kenny Pickett in 2024.

Pickett will go from starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers to backing up Jalen Hurts for the Philadelphia Eagles.

But he has the perfect mindset heading into his third NFL season.

"Change is a great thing,” Pickett recently said, via Ben Istvan of The Philadelphia Inquirer . “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. I think if you keep a positive mindset, it’ll all work out for the better.”

Pickett was a former first-round draft pick by the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft. But after two seasons, Pittsburgh found that the Pitt Panthers product wasn't the future franchise quarterback that they'd hoped he would be, leaving them to pursue Wilson in NFL free agency -- and Pickett looking for his next move and landing with the team he grew up rooting for.

In exchange for Pickett and 2024 fourth-round pick (No. 120 overall), the Eagles sent the Steelers 2024 third-round compensatory pick (No. 98 overall) and a pair of 2025 seventh-round picks back in March.

Sure, Pickett won't get to be the star of the show, but he still will get to throw balls to one of the best duos in the league , A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in practice. He also gets to work with dual-threat running back Saquon Barkley . Those are some major upgrades from what he was dealing with in Pittsburgh.

Pickett left Steel City with 24 NFL starts and 13 touchdown passes to his name.

While Pickett's career with the Steelers was blatantly unsatisfying, a fresh start closer to his roots and zero plans of proving doubters wrong is exactly what he needs.

“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.”

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