Is Kenny Pickett on the trade block? No, that probably isn't the case for now. One thing that could change the future of Pickett with the Steelers is the option of him demanding a trade. His time with Pittsburgh has been rocky since he was not able to become the franchise guy that many hoped for. He could always take a step this upcoming season, but that is unlikely.
Pittsburgh just signed Russell Wilson to a one-year deal. Most times that doesn't mean you'd trade away a young quarterback just for the sake of it. Pickett would likely have to demand a trade from the Steelers to get shipped out of town.
They seem to want that competition element entering the preseason. Wilson will likely start, and that could be something Pickett can't live with.
The Steelers could find a trade partner with the Minnesota Vikings
After signing Sam Darnold to a one-year contract, this landing spot might make less sense. But it still could be a potential trade destination if Pickett wanted out. The Vikings just lost Kirk Cousins to the Atlanta Falcons via free agency. They weren't willing to spend the big bucks on him. They are in desperate need of a starting quarterback, preferably on the younger side.
Darnold is someone who can start on a bad team, but Pickett could be an option to get better with a change of scenery. They didn't show much interest in the young quarterback when he was coming out of the draft. That was also a transition period for the Vikings, and they had Cousins to start. They could be a good landing spot.
We know that Jordan Addison is a top receiver in Minnesota, and they have plenty of quality pieces on offense too. It could be a perfect place for Pickett to find a new route in his career. He has been too stale as a starting quarterback with the Steelers. Maybe an offensive-minded coach could get more out of his career.
A Quarterback-hungry team like the Denver Broncos makes sense
Right now, the Denver Broncos are in a world of hurt at the quarterback position. They have no clear number-one guy there after cutting Wilson earlier this offseason. They need to find a new guy to lead at that position and it could be in the draft. The only issue is that Denver is likely not in a spot where they could take one of the top three quarterbacks coming out of the draft.
Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels will all likely be gone by the time the Broncos pick. That could make them pivot and look at other options, including the trade market. There are not too many desirable starting options in free agency any longer. Maybe someone like Pickett or Justin Fields could find their way to Denver.
The best possible outcome for the Broncos would be landing a quarterback in the draft and having them become a reliable starter. They like J.J. McCarthy a lot. He has been rising draft boards, so he might not be available either. Investigating different starters via trade might be their best route to take. It could be their only option to find a starter.
Pickett is someone that needs help to push his career forward. Sean Payton is not an easy coach to play for, but he has experience with quality quarterbacks in his career. He was there when Drew Brees took his game to another level when he went from the Chargers to the Saints. Pickett will never be Brees, but he could develop into a better player behind a coach like Payton.
New England Patriots could need a starting Quarterback after the draft
Let the pre-draft process be your guide, but people don't know what the Patriots will do in the upcoming draft. They hold the third overall pick, but many don't know which way they will lean when that finally comes around. They are a rebuilding club, and it seems like they could go with a quarterback, but they might decide to go in another direction.
Marvin Harrison Jr. might be the best prospect coming out of this draft class. The issue is that the Patriots have plenty of starting receivers right now despite trade rumors out there. They want to ship some of those players out including former Steelers player, JuJu Smith-Schuster. If they do accomplish moving those receivers, then Harrison will remain in play.
If they do want to add someone like Harrison with the best player available approach, someone like Pickett could make a ton of sense. They just traded away Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, so they know about disappointing first-round picks. They have a new Head coach for the first time in decades, and he could be someone who could get more out of Pickett.
Adding a young quarterback who has a good chunk of starting experience and is still on his rookie contract would be enticing. It would allow them to be more flexible with their selection in the upcoming draft and even consider moving down if such a situation arises. The Steelers and New England make sense for a trade partnership regarding Pickett.
We know the Washington Commanders showed interest in Kenny Pickett
Sometimes when you are searching through different teams that could make sense, you need to see who showed interest in specific players when they were coming out of the draft. The Steelers might have selected Pickett, but plenty of other teams showed interest in the quarterback coming out of college. One of those teams was Washington.
They went to Pitt's pro day back in 2022, and it seemed like he could have been an option to select Pickett in the first-round. They ended up going in another direction, but it could make sense for them to circle back to him. Washington just signed Marcus Mariota, but someone like Pickett would be a better starting option.
The Commanders seem ready to move on from Sam Howell as their starter. He so happened to come out of the same draft class that Pickett did two years ago. Howell was selected in the fifth round and remains only 23 years old until the start of the regular season. He also has a good chunk of starting experience in the NFL. His game could remind some of a young Mitch Trubisky in certain aspects.
Both the Steelers and Washington have an opportunity in front of them to do the wackiest trade ever. Maybe a swap of Pickett and Howell could be a good change for both sides. We know Pittsburgh also expressed interest in Howell during that same pre-draft process that ended up with them taking Pickett. It would be a funny storyline to follow, but Washington could always just take Pickett for a late-round pick.
The Steelers could trade Kenny Pickett to the New York Giants
Maybe Pickett goes from a mid-market in Pittsburgh to one of the biggest in the world with New York. Reports are out that the Giants want to move on from Daniel Jones after signing him to a massive extension last year. They want to find different options to start as many on their staff both in the front office and coaching see the writing on the wall. All of them could be fired soon.
They need to turn things around quickly, and trading for a new starting quarterback might be their best option. Unless they trade up in the draft, it is unlikely that they will find many better options than Pickett. Brian Daboll was given credit for helping turn Josh Allen's career into stardom. Maybe he can do the same for Pickett with the Giants.
If they truly want to move on from Jones as their starter, the Giants will have to get creative. It seems like they are in a bind for this upcoming season, so they might not be able to find anything better than a quarterback that can create a competitive atmosphere. Pickett has a history with the Giants as the organization was at his pro day.
Daboll was the Head coach during that draft process. We know that they have some sort of interest in Pickett in that regard. It could have always fallen off since Pickett has failed to develop since he was drafted by the Steelers. It would be an interesting development to see the New Jersey kid start for the Giants.