Thumbs up or down: Eagles beat reporters weigh in on the Kenny Pickett trade

Even when the Steelers drafted Pickett two years ago, it was easy to see him eventually settling into a backup quarterback role for years in the NFL. It may have come a bit sooner than expected considering Pittsburgh used a first-rounder on him, but his play the last two seasons warranted as much.

Pickett completed 62.6% of his career passes, throwing for 4,474 yards with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in two years. It may feel natural to hold his middling production against him when looking at the Eagles’ decision to trade two 2025 seventh-round picks and drop back 22 spots from the third round into the fourth of this year’s draft to acquire Pickett, but he should be the type of high-end backup the Eagles have consistently targeted for years now.

He’ll be affordable, too. Pickett has two years remaining on his rookie contract and will have cap hits around $2 million in each of the next two seasons, giving the Eagles a cost-controlled experienced No. 2 quarterback over that time. Tanner McKee’s promising preseason debut last year may make him the obvious candidate to take over the backup job at some point, but Pickett’s experience decreases the chance for catastrophe if Jalen Hurts misses extended time.

There were options available with higher upside, most notably Justin Fields, but he’s only under contract through next season and the Chicago Bears reportedly had his interest to compete for a starting job next season in mind when moving him to the Steelers last week. Some of the other preferable backup options like Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew signed to teams that offer more of a chance at starting than the Eagles would, as well.

Pickett may also benefit from having the type of supporting cast he sorely lacked with the Steelers if he’s ever called into action, something that seems likely considering Hurts has missed several games due to injury since he became a starter. If Hurts is sidelined, Pickett should be able to stem the tide in the short term well enough for the Eagles to tread water. Considering the meager draft-pick compensation and his manageable salary, it’s a decent move but not one worthy of unequivocal praise.

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The Eagles opted to let 30-year-old backup quarterback Marcus Mariota hit the market this offseason and traded a 2024 third-rounder and two 2025 seventh-round picks to the Steelers for Pickett and a 2024 fourth-rounder. Disgruntled following the Steelers’ signing of quarterback Russell Wilson to be the presumptive starter, Pickett requested a trade and landed with the Eagles, the team he grew up rooting for in Ocean Township, N.J.

Just looking at purely what the Eagles had with Mariota in 2023 and what they’re poised to have for the next two seasons with Pickett under contract through 2025, it’s difficult to say that they improved the backup role. Pickett is younger at 25 years old (going on 26 in June). But he’s not very experienced and his last two seasons in Pittsburgh as a starter have been subpar at best. He only threw seven touchdown passes in 13 games in 2022, and just six in 12 games in 2023.

According to Pro Football Focus, Pickett’s seven touchdowns in 2022 and six in 2023 were each the fewest among starters. Last year, his adjusted completion percentage — a metric from PFF that reflects aimed passes thrown on target, including drops — was the worst among starters at 71.8%.

The Eagles are betting on the chance that Pickett can stand to grow over the next two seasons behind Hurts. He’ll compete in practice with a chip on his shoulder, looking to prove that he can be a difference-maker whenever he gets his next chance to play.

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But talent aside, one of the most attractive aspects of bringing Pickett in to be the backup to general manager Howie Roseman ought to be his low cap number. Next season, Pickett’s $1.98 million cap hit (0.8% of the Eagles’ cap) ranks No. 50 in the league among quarterbacks according to Over the Cap. He’ll make $2.62 million in 2025 (1.0% of the Eagles’ cap). Mariota had a relatively low cap hit in 2023 at $1.93 million, but he had void years on his contract that pushed his remaining compensation into this season and the Eagles are now on the hook for $3.07 million in dead money as a result.

There’s also an argument to be made that there were better backup quarterbacks available than Pickett, namely Fields. According to an ESPN report, the Bears fielded offers for Fields from six teams, but general manager Ryan Poles wanted to do right by the 25-year-old by not sending him to a team that had a young starter. The Eagles wouldn’t have qualified as a landing spot for Fields with 25-year-old Hurts at the helm of the offense. With 35-year-old Wilson on a one-year deal in Pittsburgh, Fields is in line to be his successor.

Back to the Pickett trade, the best-case scenario is that he never plays because Hurts is never sidelined. The worst-case scenario is that Hurts misses time and Pickett can’t keep the Eagles afloat, forcing them to turn to McKee. The latter is a possibility given Pickett’s track record, but there’s also a chance that a change of scenery and time to develop could benefit Pickett in his growth.

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I wasn’t much of a fan of Pickett coming out of college, and my apathy about his NFL future had little to do with his little hands. I didn’t like his pocket presence and felt that his anticipatory throws were not on time enough. I wasn’t alone in this evaluation, although Pickett was eventually drafted 20th overall by the Steelers. He won 14 of 24 starts in Pittsburgh, but was he ultimately much better than, say, Sam Howell, who was selected in the fifth round? The Steelers clearly didn’t think he had a future as a starter and traded for Wilson. Pickett didn’t apparently appreciate the way that situation was handled, which could suggest several meanings. But, in the end, he wanted out and the Eagles acquired him in a swap that essentially had them drop from the third to fourth round in the coming draft.

The Eagles needed a better backup quarterback option than McKee after Mariota left in free agency. Nothing against McKee, who showed some promise in the preseason, but having someone in relief who actually won games in the NFL was necessary. Hurts missed just one drive last season, but he sat out three games to injury over the previous two years, and the odds are he’ll miss some time this coming season. Pickett isn’t stylistically in the same mold as Hurts, but I think too much has been made of that need. The Eagles felt the difference with Minshew hurt them to some degree in 2022, but quality is what ultimately matters. Any offense should be flexible enough to cater to the skills of different quarterbacks. Pickett isn’t immobile, though. He can move and if need be execute some of the “read” elements that should remain part of the system, even with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

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So despite some of my concerns about Pickett as a starter, he should be a fine No. 2. The Eagles also have him under contract for two seasons, which gives them some stability at the spot and allows McKee to develop. (Will Grier, who agreed to terms over the weekend, is viewed internally as just a camp arm.) I know there was some clamoring for the Eagles to bring Fields into the building. He has greater upside than Pickett, in my opinion, but the NFL seems to think far less about his potential. The Steelers, ultimately, got him from the Bears for just a sixth-round pick that could become a fourth based on playing time. I’m not sure if Hurts would have felt unease had Fields been acquired. He doesn’t strike me as the type, although he’s only human. Pickett was drafted in the first round, too, though. Shouldn’t he carry with him the same weight? Maybe? He may be able to return to starting. But it won’t likely happen in Philly. And if he is called upon and performs well, the Eagles can maybe get decent return in a trade, assuming McKee is ready in Year 3.