The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to find their next franchise quarterback in 2022 by drafting Kenny Pickett in the first round. Unfortunately, that ended up being a huge miss. It quickly became apparent that he wasn’t developing into a quality starter, and the Steelers traded him after only two seasons. Pickett has bounced around the league since then, and he signed with the Carolina Panthers this offseason. While his career hasn’t panned out like he thought it would, Pickett still has his sights on becoming a starting NFL quarterback again.
“Of course, that’s the ultimate goal,” Pickett said Wednesday on the Panthers’ YouTube channel. “But things happen in this league, you just keep working because you never know when that opportunity’s gonna come. I just want to be as prepared as I can be. You never know when that’s gonna happen, and I want to put my best foot forward.”
Pickett isn’t the first quarterback to end up being a bust. However, several former first-round quarterbacks have bounced back in recent years after initially looking hopeless.
Sam Darnold is the best example. The third overall pick in the 2018 draft, Darnold struggled to find his footing with the New York Jets. He was traded after three seasons with them, and he spent the next few years mostly as a backup. However, he never stopped working, and he’s been a good starter the past two years, helping the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl last season.
Other former first-round quarterbacks have similar stories. Daniel Jones was selected by the New York Giants with the sixth pick in the 2019 draft, and he never developed into a franchise quarterback. However, like Darnold, he flourished with a new team, looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the league last year with the Indianapolis Colts. They gave him a hefty contract this offseason as a result.
Geno Smith wasn’t a first-round pick, but he also enjoyed a career resurgence like Darnold and Jones. The blueprint is out there for Pickett, although he’s not focused on that this year with the Panthers with Bryce Young entrenched as their starter.
“I just wanted to get into a great system with great people. That’s where I’m at right now,” he said. “Taking it a day at a time, working really hard this offseason to improve my game, in the weight room, on the field. I’m really not trying to look too far down the road. I want to be a positive addition to this team and help any way I can.”
What is notable about the aforementioned quarterbacks who resurrected their career is that they didn’t improve immediately after joining new teams. They each had stops in between where they rebuilt themselves. If Pickett wanted to be in a place like that, then Carolina wasn’t a bad pick.
Pickett is already in line to be their backup. He expected to be behind veteran Andy Dalton on the depth chart, but ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported that the Panthers have traded Dalton to the Philadelphia Eagles. Now, Pickett should be the next man up after Young.
Trade: Panthers are trading veteran QB Andy Dalton to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round pick, per sources. pic.twitter.com/8WgURZHSIj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 18, 2026
Panthers head coach Dave Canales is a great offensive mind, and he was Smith’s quarterbacks coach when he won Comeback Player of the Year. He also was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator when Baker Mayfield’s career got back on track. He has a history of developing quarterbacks, and perhaps Pickett is his next success story.
Recommended for you