Kenny Pickett has had quite the NFL career to this point. It may not have been the most accomplished career so far, but it’s certainly been interesting.
Pickett began as a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft. The quarterback 2022 and 2023 in Pittsburgh, with limited success as the starter, before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the 2024 season.
Pickett played in five games last year as the backup to Jalen Hurts and was then traded to the Cleveland Browns earlier this offseason in exchange for fifth-round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Pickett battled Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders this offseason for a spot in a crowded Browns’ quarterback room. However, the well-traveled passer was unable to stand out in the preseason and as a result, the Browns shipped him to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
That’s right- Pickett has now been traded for a third time. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, Pickett is now just the second player to ever be traded three times in his first four seasons.
Coincidentally, fellow quarterback Sam Howell just became the first player to achieve that feat yesterday when he was traded from the Vikings to the Eagles.
Pickett will now head out west to be the primary backup to Geno Smith. The Raiders needed a backup for Smith after Aidan O’Connell fractured his wrist and is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks.
The Raiders now have Smith, Pickett, and rookie sixth-rounder Cam Miller in the quarterback room. Pickett has plenty of starting experience if anything happens to Smith, who will be 35 in October.
Pickett’s best season as a pro came as a rookie. The quarterback played in 13 games with the Steelers and threw for 2,404 yards with seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. Even with that lackluster stat line, Pickett led the Steelers to a 7-5 record in the 12 games he started.
Even though Pickett didn’t do enough to win the starting job in Cleveland, it was still a bit surprising to see him traded. The Browns recently put out a statement saying that they’d prefer to keep four quarterbacks on the roster, but clearly they felt the Raiders offered too much to pass up.
