The Eagles may not have wanted to lose Kenny Pickett, but the move still worked out for them.
According to Pickett’s college coach Pat Narduzzi, Philadelphia planned to keep Pickett as its QB2 and wasn’t eager to send him elsewhere. Narduzzi said at ACC Media days this week, "The Eagles did not want to trade him," Narduzzi said at ACC Media days this week (Narduzzi coached Pickett at Pittsburgh). "He begged to be traded because he wanted to compete, and he felt like he wasn't going to have a chance to beat out Jalen Hurts.
"I think there's some misconceptions about, 'They just got rid of him.' No.
They wanted him to stay, and they said, 'We're not trading you.' And he begged, and they said, 'If it's good for us, we'll trade you.
But if it's not good for us, we're not making that move.'"
That’s how Pickett ended up in Cleveland, with the Eagles getting Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick in return. From Pickett’s side, it was a chance to chase a starting job. From Philadelphia’s side, it was a decision that opened the door for a clearer look at what it had behind Jalen Hurts.
And that’s where Tanner McKee comes in.
McKee did enough last season to make the Eagles think twice about the backup spot. In a Week 18 win over the Giants in that 2024 season, he went 27-of-41 for 269 yards and two touchdowns without an interception, finishing with a 100.6 rating. Even with the second-team offense, he looked like more than a No. 3 quarterback.
But the Eagles also got another look at McKee the year before, and that picture wasn’t nearly as clean. In his Week 18 appearance last year, McKee was 21-of-40 for 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception, good for a 68.9 rating.
He was working behind a worse offensive line, held the ball too long, and had trouble reading the defense consistently. This season, even with a different offense, he has still struggled.
That uncertainty is part of why Philadelphia brought in Andy Dalton. The Eagles learned enough about McKee to let him compete for the job, and they’ve now got a veteran stopgap in place.
Still, neither McKee nor Dalton is signed beyond this season. Dalton is 38, and McKee could even be traded before the year is over.
Pickett, meanwhile, gave Philadelphia exactly what it needed in his lone season there. When Hurts was out in Week 17 with a concussion, Pickett stepped in and delivered, going 10-of-15 for 143 yards and a touchdown without an interception for a 119.6 passer rating.
He also ran for a touchdown. From the second quarter on, he was 9 of 12 for 138 yards with a touchdown and a 140.3 passer rating.
He did it while playing through broken ribs.
So yes, Pickett was right to want another shot at a starting job. He was never going to get that chance in Philadelphia, especially not after a Super Bowl season for Hurts. The Eagles knew that, and Pickett knew it too.
His path after leaving Philadelphia hasn’t exactly settled the question, either. A hamstring injury didn’t help him with the Browns, and he was eventually traded to the Raiders.
He is now with the Panthers, his fourth team in three years. The reality looks a lot like a backup’s journey, but that’s something Pickett likely wouldn’t have fully learned without leaving the Eagles.
Philadelphia, for its part, still has quarterback questions to answer after this season. The team will need a QB2 for 2027, and it may have to find one through free agency or the draft before the fifth round.
Cole Payton is one possibility, though his minicamp performance didn’t inspire much confidence. And if Hurts is back after this season, the Eagles will still need a backup plan behind him.
For now, the Pickett move looks like one of those rare cases where both sides got something they wanted, even if it took some pushing to get there.
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