Former Pittsburgh and now Philadelphia quarterback Kenny Pickett was introduced to the Philly-area media on Monday.
And he didn’t exactly lay claim to the notion that he was as disgruntled as he’s been painted in recent days, since he was shipped to the Eagles from Pittsburgh after the Steelers agreed to sign former Seattle and Denver quarterback Russell Wilson.
Pickett, it had been reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, did the pro athlete equivalent of throwing a temper tantrum. Some reports even suggested that Pickett refused to dress out as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Mason Rudolph late in the season after he was cleared to return from a high ankle sprain.
“I think that goes back to a lot of the communication behind closed doors that didn’t go …. how it was getting released,” Pickett said. “There was a plan there for that game. It went down exactly as it was planned to go down that entire week. I was coming off the ankle surgery, so it is what it is. Like I’ve been saying, though, very happy to be here.”
The former Pitt standout is from New Jersey and grew up an Eagles fan. But will he be “happy to be” there when he’s sitting on the bench behind Jalen Hurts?
Pickett completed 64 percent of his passes in 24 starts for the Steelers, going 14-10 as a starter with 13 touchdowns and (you guessed it) 13 interceptions.
“I just thought it was time,” Pickett said Monday, about leaving Pittsburgh. “… I wanted to get a chance to go somewhere else and continue to grow my career. The fact that it is in Philly, the place that I grew up, found the love for the game here, with a great coaching staff, great players … I think it’s an awesome opportunity to join this team.”
