Mac Jones’ departure from the New England Patriots wasn’t perfect. But it seems to have gone down a lot better than the way quarterback Kenny Pickett is leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Saturday, the Steelers announced that they had traded Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles for a meager return of draft picks. It didn’t take long for the rumors of Pickett’s discontent to come trickling out.
Since being drafted No. 20 overall in 2022, Pickett had been the primary starter in Pittsburgh. However, he missed time with an ankle injury this past season, opening the door for Mason Rudolph to start. Things appeared to take a turn for the worse when the Steelers rode the hot hand with Rudolph, keeping Pickett on the bench even when he was healthy.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “that led to some petulant behavior” from the former first-round pick, who reportedly refused to dress as the emergency third-string quarterback in his final game with the Steelers.
Dulac reports that Pickett “was traded because of his behavior and expressed unhappiness” with the team signing quarterback Russell Wilson in free agency. According to the Post-Gazette, Picketts canceled a workout with Steelers receivers after news of the Wilson signing broke.
The rumored unhappiness came out into the open when Pickett said his goodbyes to Pittsburgh. While the quarterback had positive things to say about the city (where he also played in college), Pickett did not mention the Steelers (or anyone affiliated with the organization) by name.
Instead, the New Jersey native mentioned his favorite team as a child -- the Eagles.
“Thank you, Pittsburgh! I came to this city 7 years ago and my life changed forever. Grateful for all of the amazing people I was fortunate enough to cross paths with, and for all of those who supported me along the way. I made life-long friendships and relationships that I will always cherish. Now, I am honored and excited for the next opportunity in my career - being able to play for the team that helped me find my love for the game as a kid. Go Birds!!”
In comparison to Pickett’s drama-filled departure from Pittsburgh, the end of Jones’ time in New England seems relatively tame.
The end of the Jones era was not without juicy gossip, particularly news from MassLive’s Mark Daniels that Bill Belichick has stopped talking to the quarterback and did not inform Jones of his demotion to third string in his final game.
With that said, Jones did dress in his final game. Plus, he thanked the Patriots (and even Belichick by name) in his farewell post.
After he was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jones said publicly that he and the Patriots “just decided the mutual parting of ways was the best decision for both of us.”