‘Bold’ Stephen A. Smith questions Kenny Pickett’s credibility with a brutal take following trade from Steelers to Eagles

Stephen A. Smith argued the only reason why Kenny Pickett landed at Pittsburgh was because of being a home product. 

‘Bold’ Stephen A. Smith questions Kenny Pickett’s credibility with a brutal take following trade from Steelers to Eagles

Stephen A. Smith and Kenny Pickett (Via Imago)

There have been a lot of debates on whether or not Kenny Pickett handled the whole Russell Wilson situation well, followed by his exit from the Pittsburgh Steelers as a professional player. If one asks Stephen A. Smith, he would definitely side with the latter part of the sentence. 

Pickett found himself again in the limelight after his introductory press conference with the Philadelphia Eagles that happened this Monday. Though he cleared his stance on the whole fiasco leading to his departure from his original team, there does seem to be an unhinged difference between the quarterback and the Steelers. 

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Walking talking about how the 2022 first-round pick handled his exit from the Steelers, sports analyst Smith gave some serious pointers questioning the credibility of the Pittsburgh product, after his recent trade to the Eagles. He argued the only reason why Pickett landed at Pittsburgh was because of being a home product. 

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Smith said on First Take:

Here’s my biggest issue with the whole Kenny Pickett thing, if the University of Pittsburgh didn’t Practice at the same facilities as the Pittsburgh Steelers, I don’t know if the Steelers would even have known who he was. I think he was drafted by the Steelers because he was a home product and obviously nostalgic kicked in and people were talking about.
Stephen A. Smith said

The ESPN analyst claimed he was never in sync with the Steelers’ decision to draft Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft. It wasn’t because he believed the quarterback lacked potential, but he “certainly didn’t help himself.” 

Steelers’ salary cap strategy with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, following Kenny Pickett’s departure

Letting go of Pickett not only gave the Steelers a chance to rebuild the offense next season but also created space in their salary cap. They signed two quarterbacks, Wilson and Justin Fields for $2.8 million without any long-term commitments. 

Fields was traded for the third-day pick of 2025, which means he would get the same amount $1,616,724 as per his rookie contract deal signed with the Chicago Bears. And the nine-time Pro Bowler has signed a one-year contract deal worth $1.2 million. 

Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson (Via Imago)

Pittsburgh struck a good deal with Wilson, as he would already earn $37.8 million from his former franchise, Denver Broncos as per his five-year contract deal worth $242.5 million. Trading Pickett created a $15.6 million cap space this offseason, which they will use in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft. 

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