PHILADELPHIA — The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles have made a trade.
The Steelers are sending Kenny Pickett, their starting quarterback for most of the last two seasons, to Philly in what NFL reporter Adam Schefter said is a "pick swap."
According to Schefter, the Steelers are getting pick No. 98 (a third rounder) and two 7th round picks next year. The Eagles get Pickett and pick No. 120 (in the fourth) this year.
The trade was announced Friday afternoon.
Pickett, 25, became expendable when the Steelers signed free agent Russell Wilson last week. He will presumably take over the backup role behind Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia, though the Eagles are reportedly still enthusiastic about last year's third-stringer, Tanner McKee.
The Steelers took Pickett with the 20th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft. In two NFL seasons, the former Pitt Panthers star completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
Pickett started 12 games in each of his last two seasons with the Steelers.
Philadelphia has an established starter in Hurts, who has led the Eagles to the playoffs in three of his first four seasons and was an MVP candidate during the Birds' Super Bowl run in 2022.
But the Eagles let last year's backup, Marcus Mariota, walk in free agency and were looking to add some depth at quarterback. They were reportedly interested in the Chicago Bears' Justin Fields before the deal for Pickett materialized.
Schefter said Pickett, a New Jersey native, grew up as an Eagles fan. Now he gets to join his favorite team.
Philadelphia has had a busy offseason so far. Earlier on Friday, reports surfaced that they reached an agreement with defensive end Josh Sweat to restructure his contract, allowing him to stay with the team. Sweat had reportedly been on the trade market before agreeing to rework his deal.
Thursday night, the Birds signed linebacker Devin White to a one-year contract worth $7.5 million. They also announced contract extensions with kicker Jake Elliott, punter Bradon Mann, and long-snapper Rick Lovato.
The Eagles also signed a four-year extension with offensive lineman Landon Dickerson, signed free-agent running back and former Penn State star Saquon Barkley, landed free-agent pass rusher Bryce Huff, signed linebacker Zack Baun, and signed backup center Matt Hennessy.
The team also added veteran wideout DeVante Parker and brought back former safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
In addition to landing their new starting QB in Wilson, the Steelers' busy offseason included the signings of linebacker Patrick Queen, safety DeShon Elliott, and long-snapper Christian Kuntz and a trade for cornerback and former Carolina Panther Donte Jackson.