QB Kenny Pickett (5.8.25)

Have you ever been involved in a quarterback competition quite like this, where there’s so many guys involved at this stage of the offseason? 

“Yeah, I think you just keep every competition the same. Like you’re really just trying to improve daily, you know, learning a new system, playing with new teammates. You know, it’s just a daily process of trying to improve and all that stuff will just work itself out.”

 

How do you feel like you kind of performed today? Obviously early on OTAs, but how do you feel like you performed? 

“Yeah, yeah, I felt like it was a good day. I felt like yesterday was a good day. I think we followed up with another good day just working operationally and, you know, buying into what the coaches want us to do and how we’re supposed to break the huddle and operate and play fast. So I think it was a good first two days of that, obviously, to watch the tape.”

 

The Philly scheme is obviously kind of unique in the way that they obviously use Jalen (Hurts) with the run game. QB be run game and whatnot. But are there any similarities to what you’ve done, maybe in Pittsburgh or back in college, to what you’re doing out here?

“Yeah, I think there’s more similarities to Philly’s system than people may realize just because they’re a little bit more under center than the gun. You know, Philly was more in the gun, but a lot of the concepts are the same and the teaching is the same. Just learning the new terminology has really been the big thing for me.”

 

Kevin has mentioned multiple times, you spending last year with the Eagles, them winning the Super Bowl, you getting a firsthand look of what it takes to get to that level. Just what do you take from that experience in Philadelphia and how do you think that is going to help move your career forward? 

“Yeah, 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. So 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. You know, I think it’ll pay dividends for me in the future.”

 

Kenny, I know you told us about Jerry (Jeudy), like working with him in the off season and training together. It looked like today he’s catching everything out there. Just what’s it been like to. To reconnect with him here and what’s that early connection like?

“Yeah, he’s a really easy guy to throw to. You know, I think it’s a good play whenever you’re throwing the ball to number three. So, you know, we should keep doing a lot more of that. But Jerry’s an awesome guy. He works really hard. His communication with the quarterbacks is awesome. Just, you know, if he sees something or if I see something, the ability just to have that open dialogue and kind of being on the same page has been great these first two days. I think it’s shown.”

 

This trend of guys like (Sam) Darnold and Geno (Smith), kind of late player resurgences, do you think they judge young quarterbacks too quickly?

“I think it’s just the nature of where the NFL is now, you know, it takes a lot to play really good quarterback play, and everyone’s trying to find that guy. And now I’m in this stage of my career where I’m trying to find that place and figure it out. I got a chance to work with Geno this offseason, and he’s an awesome guy. And I think that was also a great experience for me working with a guy like him. You know, it’s very similar to Joe (Flacco), just later in the career, has played a lot of football and you can just pick up small things as you, as you work with those guys.”

 

We didn’t talk to you before the draft, so my question is, and you were very determined at that point that you were coming in here to win this starting job, to try to be the starter. So my question is, now that they’ve brought in two rookie quarterbacks and it’s this four way intense competition, are you more determined than ever to win this starting job or how do you feel about it now? 

“Yeah, I don’t think anything really changed for me. You know, our job is to play football. Everyone has a job in the building to do. So I’m just focused on my job and coming out here and competing and being as prepared as I can be for these guys out here.”

 

How intense is the competition? How do you feel? 

“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.”

 

When you go to Philadelphia knowing that your job is going to be the backup to Jalen Hurts. So how do you approach it differently when you know that job could be yours to grab? 

“I think something that, I forget who told me this early in my days in college, I just always approached every day as if I’m the starter no matter where I was on the depth chart. So even when I was in Philly, I would prepare as if I was a starter because, you never know when that opportunity was going to be to go play. And, you know, you want to be as prepared as you can be. So I’m kind of having the same mindset that I’ve always had since college of coming in, preparing like I’m the guy. So, you know, whatever happens, it’s just another day because I always have that same mindset.

 

With the extra reps out there. Sometimes it looks like a three room circus to us watching practice. The first two days, how do you think it’s worked?

“I think it’s gone well. It’s gone well. I mean, they’re doing a great job of getting everyone reps to see, you know, get experience with the offense and get a feel for everybody. Reps are just so key for the quarterback position with continuity of players. So you always want to get as many as you can get. And if you’re not instilling some mental reps and going in and watching tape and seeing every play just to stay as ahead as you can be.”

 

What sort of lessons can you take from Geno’s journey through the league?

“Yeah, I think it’s just taking advantage of my opportunity, when it’s there. You know, he bounced around a lot, got an opportunity and took off. So great guy, you know, loved working with Geno. So really just, you know, trying to take advantage of everything I got.”

 

What have you learned from Joe? I mean, he’s been around obviously for 17 seasons. So what kinds of takeaways are you getting from Joe Flacco out here?

“I think it’s more, you know, film room in between reps, talking about what he saw or what I saw. He’s just a great…It’s like he’s not a coach. I don’t want anyone to say that, but it’s like having another coach when a guy that’s played that much football, you could bounce ideas off of, you know, ask him what he saw, how he would read certain things earlier in his career. There’s just so many things, small things that you can learn. Just having that normal, you know, open dialogue that we have in the quarterback room.”

 

Do you do VR (virtual reality)?

“I don’t. I don’t. I haven’t tried it yet. I may go try it. Yeah, yeah, I’m definitely interested to try it. I’m just a big tape guy. I just always done it for a long time now, so I’m very comfortable there. But yeah, open to try it.”

 

Kenny, the Browns wanted you because they traded for you. But then, since then, Kevin (Stefanski) and AB (Andrew Berry), everybody’s been really complimentary of you, think you have a lot of untapped potential. So how does that make you feel heading into this competition? And just the fact that they think your best days are still yet to come.

“That’s awesome. That’s why I’m just taking a day at a time and working really hard. You know, I just want to be as prepared as I can be when the opportunity comes. And every chance I get out here to put on good tape, play well, and we’ll see where the chips fall.”

 

What do you learn? You know, this time of year when you’re going through the OTAs, the contact’s limited. The defense is showing, but they’re not being ultra-aggressive. So what do you learn during this portion of the off season program? 

“Those team periods are pretty aggressive. I think we were getting after it pretty good. But, I think right now it’s just learning a new system. Like’s you need live reps, like at the end of the day, playing the quarterback position, you need live reps to feel comfortable in the system. I think the coaches are doing a great job of getting everybody those opportunities. You know, being as prepared as you can be. Almost treating every practice like a game, a game day script. You know, you go home, you study it, you’re prepared. And then you come in, you go out here and you work at it and then you watch the tape. So I think that’s kind of the process that I’m taking.”

 

How about the two rookie QBs? Are the two rookie QBs really kind of picking your guys brains and trying to learn from you? And if so, is it almost helping you learn too to have to be able to share with them? 

“Yeah, that’s kind of the open dialogue thing I was talking about earlier with Joe and all the quarterbacks, just being in the film room, being able to talk through things. Same with Shedeur and Dillon on the side. If they ever have a question to ask me and talk through it, it helps me just as much as it helps them. So yeah, it’s a great, great working environment, you know, in that quarterback room.”

 

Did it surprise you that they took two quarterbacks after the draft, after the trade? 

“I think the longer you play in the NFL, you just take everything in stride, man. You know, like I said, I have a job to do. I think everyone’s focused on doing their job. So it’s been going really well so far.”

 

Did it add any more extra motivation for you and your approach?

“No, like, you know, when you get locked in that mindset, nothing really, makes it different, I don’t think. You know, you kind of just stick in that mode and continue to show up and work every day.”

 

Have you felt the Shedeur (Sanders) sort of aura? You know, he’s all over social media. There’s a huge fan base for him. He’s a celebrity. I mean, have you sort of felt that? And if so, what impact does that have on any of this? 

“I don’t think much player wise. Shedeur is an awesome guy, man. He’s funny to be around. He’s a, he’s a great time every day in the quarterback room. You know, we have a lot of laughs together. So it’s been a lot of fun having him in the building.”

 

With Joe, you mentioned he’s like kind of like a coach out there. 

“Not a coach. Not a coach. Not a coach.”

 

But he’s been vocal in the past about my job to be a mentor to younger quarterbacks. But it happens naturally and sometimes he feels like, you know, he gets, we play gotcha with him on that. What do you make of that? Why is it such a big deal for a veteran quarterback to see themselves as a mentor, whatever that is?

“Yeah, I don’t really know how to answer that question. Like I said, it’s open dialogue in the quarterback room where he’s not a coach, but you have so much respect for his time in the NFL, where you’re asking questions. He’ll ask you questions of what I saw when he was in there. It goes by, you know, both ways, vice versa. So not a coach. Not a coach, but he’s an awesome guy to have in the room to really talk through this system that he’s been in before, especially, and systems like it. So it’s been good.”

 

Looking back at those first couple years of Pittsburgh, what are the things that stand out? You say, okay, this is what I need to do better, and there’s so much more room for me to grow.

“Yeah, I think continuing to work in the pocket’s been, you know, really good for me. You know, having a chance in Philly to do it and working with the coaches here, continuing to get better there, you know, felt like late in games, I found ways to win games, which was, you know, which was always good to see. But continue just to grow as a quarterback in the system. You have to be in a system for a couple years to really grow. I’m hoping I can have that here where you just build a foundation with something and grow with it. So I’m just taking it day to time.”

 

Diontae Johnson, what do you think he can bring to the table here? And what kind of camaraderie or chemistry do you two guys?

“Being able to play with Tae for a couple years in Pittsburgh, now we’re teammates again, I think that’s awesome. You know, his route running ability, his ability to separate, I think, you know, drop his weight in and out of routes, you know, it’s special. So, you know, I’m excited to get back out there with him.”

 

Kenny, when you think about Geno Smith and some of the other guys, who have kind of resurrected their careers, not at the original place when they came in, you know, in the draft as a first round pick or whatever. Like, do you feel different? Like, is it freeing at all that maybe the expectations shift as when you come into Pittsburgh as a big draft investment versus now that that might be off your shoulders? 

“I feel like I’m pretty hard on myself to be as best as I can be. So I try to always not worry about the outside opinion and just hold myself to a really high standard of how I want to play quarterback and how I want to play football. So I don’t think my mindset will change. You know, just excited to have this opportunity. Really grateful to be here. You know, it’s been a lot of fun so far.”

 

You mentioned last team period being pretty aggressive out there. Were you surprised that you were nearly sacked on that one play? 

“What’d you say?”

 

It looked like 90 (Joe Tryon-Shoyinka) took a good run on you.

“Oh, yeah, that’s what I’m saying. It felt like live football to me. You know, we were going after it, and that’s great to get reps full speed like that. You’d rather have the coaches try to pull back on the reins than tell you to get going. So I think it’s a good way to be how we should be attacking each day.”

 

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