Eagles QB Kenny Pickett Criticized by Rich Eisen

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett is taking some heat from a well-known NFL voice as he gets set for his first season in the City of Brotherly Love.

NFL Network's Rich Eisen recently called out Pickett for asking to be traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this offseason. The Steelers granted the former first-round pick's request and shipped him east to Philadelphia.

USA Today

“You are going to get a first crack at a starter job and then the kid who was there, Kenny Pickett, made himself a hostage,” Eisen said on his show. “They then volunteered to send him to Philly.”

Instead of potentially getting a chance to beat out Russell Wilson for the starting job with the Steelers, Pickett now finds himself as the no-doubt backup to franchise QB Jalen Hurts. Pittsburgh ended up trading for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

However, Pickett raved about Hurts in an interview with NBC 10 Philadelphia earlier this offseason.

"It's been great," Pickett said. "Obviously, Jalen's an incredibly-talented player. He's played in a similar system, and we're kinda all learning this new one together. So the communication back and forth in the quarterback room has been awesome with the quarterbacks coaching us and Kellen (Moore). I couldn't ask for a better room, better staff to be working with. Obviously the talent around this team is pretty special, so it's a great group to be in."

Pickett, 26, provides some key experience at backup quarterback despite how things ended with the Steelers before the trade. The former Pitt Panther and No. 20 overall pick in the 2022 draft has played in 25 career games while going 446 of 713 passing for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He’s also added 97 carries for 291 yards and four more scores.