Pittsburgh sent Kenny Pickett and pick No. 120 to…
Pittsburgh sent Kenny Pickett and pick No. 120 to Philadelphia for No. 98 and two 2025 seventh-rounders. The Steelers used No. 98 on Payton Wilson, who has become a productive linebacker with 181 career tackles and two interceptions through 2025. Pickett served as Jalen Hurts’ backup on a Super Bowl champion and later brought Philadelphia Dorian Thompson-Robinson plus a fifth-round pick. Pittsburgh still leads, but the Eagles’ return deserves more credit.
Philadelphia Eagles Received
- pick Kenny Pickett and 2024 4th round pick (120th overall subsequently traded, Jaylen Wright )
Pittsburgh Steelers Received
- pick 2024 3rd round pick (98th overall, Payton Wilson), 2025 7th round pick (223rd overall subsequently traded, Damien Martinez ) and 2025 7th round pick (229th overall, Donte Kent)
Trade Analysis
The Steelers moved Kenny Pickett after only two seasons because the quarterback room had changed dramatically. Pittsburgh signed Russell Wilson, and Pickett wanted a clearer opportunity elsewhere. The Steelers sent Pickett and pick No. 120 to Philadelphia for pick No. 98 and two 2025 seventh-rounders. Pittsburgh used No. 98 on linebacker Payton Wilson, while Philadelphia acquired a local former first-round quarterback to back up Jalen Hurts.
Wilson has become the strongest direct player produced by the transaction. He played all 17 games in each of his first two seasons, recording 69 official tackles as a rookie and 120 in 2025. He also has two career interceptions, two sacks and multiple impact plays on defense and special teams. Even without being a full-time starter in every game, Wilson has become a major rotational linebacker with clear long-term value for Pittsburgh.
Philadelphia also extracted meaningful value. Pickett served as Hurts’ backup throughout the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning 2024 season. He completed 25 of 42 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns and started a Week 17 victory over Dallas that clinched the NFC East. After the season, Philadelphia traded Pickett to Cleveland for Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick. That means the Eagles received a useful championship-season backup and then recycled him into additional assets.
The No. 120 pick was also moved rather than simply disappearing, further improving Philadelphia’s asset-management case. Pittsburgh’s two seventh-rounders have not matched Wilson’s importance.
The current B+/C split underrates the Eagles. Pittsburgh still deserves the win because Wilson is the most valuable lasting player from the original exchange and could remain part of the defense for years. But Philadelphia got exactly the backup-quarterback insurance it wanted during a Super Bowl season and then recovered more value afterward. B+ for Pittsburgh and B- for Philadelphia better reflects a trade in which both teams executed their immediate plans well.