To say that the Kenny Pickett era did not go well for the Pittsburgh Steelers would be an understatement. The Steelers spent the 20th overall pick on Pickett in the 2022 NFL Draft, and 24 starts over two seasons later, he was shipped off to the other NFL team in Pennsylvania.
While Pickett did manage to win a Super Bowl with the Eagles, he did so as a backup (though, in his defense, he did get to play in the blowout win over the Chiefs); he only spent a year there before getting to the Browns. Pickett was traded not long after to the Raiders, where he appeared in six games in 2025.
Now Pickett is with his fifth team in as many years, joining the Panthers this offseason to back up former first overall pick Bryce Young. Unfortunately for Pickett, it sounds as though the problems he's suffered throughout his career have followed him to Carolina.
Panthers fans getting a dose of reality about former Pittsburgh Steelers' QB Kenny Pickett
According to Carolina Blitz on X, Pickett had a rough day at the office on Friday. He was sacked on two out of three series and nearly went for the hat trick, except that instead of a sack, he tripped and fumbled the football. Woof.
Dean Jones of Cat Crave, FanSided's Carolina Panthers site, also touched on Pickett's not-so-stellar performance so far.
"The 2022 first-round pick out of Pittsburgh is too careless with the football, and he is not going through his progressions effectively enough. That's a dangerous combination, and if the same lackluster consistency continues when the pads go on, the Panthers have a big problem on their hands."
Talk about a tough start for the former Steelers' first-round pick. If nothing else, it shows once again that the Steelers were right to move on from him when they did. They knew after two lackluster years with the organization that he wasn't the right guy for the job and let him try to make it somewhere else.
While Pickett is only in Charlotte as the backup to Young, if something does happen to the Panthers' former first overall pick, Pickett is the next man up. If his current production doesn't improve, the defending NFC South champions could be in for a heap of trouble if Pickett ends up being the one taking the snaps.
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