Browns QB Kenny Pickett Subtly Shades Former Team

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett garnered some attention for his comment on the Philadelphia Eagles, which some construed as subtle shade aimed at the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns traded for Pickett in March, bringing him over from the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Browns sent a 2025 fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to the Eagles for Pickett.

Pickett was a first-round pick in 2022 by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent two years as the starter in Pittsburgh, posting a 14-10 record. He posted 4,474 yards, 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in a Steelers uniform. Pickett asked for a trade out of Pittsburgh after the Steelers acquired Russell Wilson, unseating him as the starter.

Pickett spent last season backing up Jalen Hurts and came away with the Super Bowl ring. He spoke highly of his time in Philadelphia and feels it helped him take the next step in his career.

“I’m extremely grateful for my time in Philly. I think I was just shown how it’s supposed to be done, really, from the top down,” Pickett said. “When you get a chance to see what it’s supposed to look like and how it should look on a day-to-day basis, not just on Sundays, I think it’ll pay dividends for me in the future.”

Considering how things ended in Pittsburgh for Pickett, some interpreted his comments as subtle shade toward the Steelers. While it didn’t work out with the team that drafted him, Pickett landed in a strong situation with the Browns — a division rival that faces Pittsburgh twice a year.

Kenny Pickett Downplays Browns Quarterback Competition

The Browns’ four-man quarterback competition has drawn national attention, with Pickett battling Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders, and Dillon Gabriel for the starting role. But according to Pickett, the “competition angle” is being overstated and doesn’t fully reflect the dynamic inside the building.

“I think it’s the outside world makes it up a lot bigger than it is. When you’re day to day and you’re in meetings with these guys, you’re out of practice, you spend so much time together. Of course we’re all competing, but you become friends with everybody,” You know, we’re helping each other. There’s open dialogue in the quarterback room to help each other grow. So I think it’s a great media headline, but when you get in the building, in a quarterback room, and at least all the ones that I’ve been in, you really become friends with these guys and we’re just pushing each other.”

Sanders has expressed a similar sentiment about the Browns’ quarterback room.

“Everybody is cool in the room. Outside of the room, people try to put us against each other. But inside the room, we know we are one,” Sanders said recently.

Conflicting Reports About Who is Leading QB Competition

The Browns have a long way to go before they figure out their Week 1 starter. But the start of OTAs have already triggered a variety of takes on who is in the “lead,” despite much work still to be done.

The Browns have maintained that all four quarterbacks will get a legitimate shot at the starting job, but Pickett has emerged as the early frontrunner. Cleveland traded assets to acquire Pickett, signaling a stronger commitment compared to Flacco, who arrived later in free agency on a low-risk deal. The team also drafted Gabriel in the third round — a move many viewed as a reach — and waited until the fifth round to select Sanders after passing on him multiple times.

Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reported that Pickett is “for all intents and purposes, in the lead.” However, other insiders, including Zac Jackson of The Athletic, believe Flacco has looked like the Browns’ most consistent and polished passer so far.