Part of being a starting quarterback in the NFL is having an insane amount of confidence — sometimes in the face of of all rational thinking.
Kenny Pickett has never been lacking in confidence. That could serve the former Philadelphia Eagles backup and first round pick well as he might get a chance to be a starter again after being traded to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2025 fifth round pick and backup quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson on March 10.
It’s the second consecutive year Pickett has been traded. In March 2024, he was traded to the Eagles from the Pittsburgh Steelers along with a 2024 fourth round pick in exchange for a pair of 2025 seventh round picks and a 2024 third round pick.
Now on the roster of one of the NFL’s worst teams, Pickett believes he’s got a chance to become the man again after making 24 starts in 2 seasons in Pittsburgh after they selected him in the first round (No. 20 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft — he’s actually 15-10 as a starter in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia over his first 3 seasons.
“A chance to compete to be a starter,” Pickett told CBS Sports when asked what he expected in Cleveland. ” … I mean, all you want is an opportunity. You know, it doesn’t matter who else is in the room. All you can ask for is an opportunity. Then you got to go handle the rest.”
Pickett Showed Worth With Eagles … But So Did McKee
With quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts sidelined for all but one quarter of the final 3 games of the regular season with a concussion suffered against the Washington Commanders in Week 16, the Eagles were forced to use not only backup Pickett but also third string quarterback Tanner McKee, who started and won the regular season finale against the New York Giants after Pickett injured his ribs filling in for Hurts.
Like pretty much everyone else on the Eagles roster the entire season, both Pickett and McKee were more than up to the task. They both also created instant value with their performances at the end of the season — Pickett as trade bait for a QB needy team and McKee as a possible No. 2 behind Hurts in 2025.
In all likelihood, that means the Eagles’ quarterback room in 2025 will be Hurts a the starter, McKee as the main backup and Thompson-Robinson as the emergency third quarterback.
Browns Saddled By GOAT of Bad NFL Contracts
The Browns showed once again why they’re one of the most epic “can’t get right” franchises in professional sports history by handing out the single worst contract in NFL history when they traded for Deshaun Watson before the 2022 season and subsequently signed him to a fully guaranteed, 5-year, $230 million contract.
Watson has been one of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks since coming to Cleveland — when he’s been available. He only played 6 games in 2022 after serving an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy, only played 6 games in 2023 before season-ending shoulder surgery and only played 7 games in 2024 before he tore his Achilles tendon that could keep him out for most of the 2025 season as well.
With Watson still on the books for $92 million over the next 2 seasons and the Browns holding the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, there’s also a chance the Browns could add a rookie quarterback.
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