Kenny Pickett urged the Philadelphia Eagles to trade him in 2024 so he could compete for a starting role, according to his former college coach. The Eagles had no plans to move the quarterback but ultimately agreed after his repeated requests.
Pat Narduzzi, Pickett’s head coach at the University of Pittsburgh, made the comments on 99.9 The Fan’s YouTube channel. He said the Eagles wanted to keep Pickett as a backup to Jalen Hurts, who had signed a five-year contract extension the previous year.
“The Eagles did not want to trade him,” Narduzzi said. “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.”
Philadelphia traded Pickett to the Cleveland Browns in 2025. He later moved to the Las Vegas Raiders and now plays for the Carolina Panthers. Narduzzi expressed confidence that the right situation could still allow Pickett to succeed.