In a trade that's shaking up the NFL's quarterback carousel, the Las Vegas Raiders have snagged Kenny Pickett from the Cleveland Browns, as multiple sources, including FOX5 Vegas, reported on Thursday. Pickett, a 27-year-old who just last season held the clipboard for the Super Bowl champs in Philadelphia, is now expected to comfortably slide into his new role of backing up the Raiders' QB Geno Smith.
Why the sudden shift? Well, it all comes down to Raider's signal-caller, Aidan O'Connell, taking a serious wrist hit, a fracture to be precise, which sidelines him for an unfortunate six to eight weeks. This left the Raiders in a bit of a pickle, needing to quickly find a skilled vet to step up to the plate. They seem to have found their guy in Pickett, who has notably managed to already carve out a 62.6% pass completion rate over his short but eventful career. "I want somebody who's played," Coach Pete Carroll was quoted as saying in an interview acquired by CBS News Pittsburgh. Pickett's bona fides include what could be described as a sports odyssey: first drafted by the Steelers, then onto the Eagles, a brief stint with the Browns, and now the counting-on-him Raiders.
The trade amounts to a 2026 fifth-round pick for the Browns, who find themselves with a QB room now helmed by the veteran Joe Flacco. Pickett's move, per CBS News Pittsburgh, frees up the Browns to lean on rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders as backups. Meanwhile, Pickett will need to rapidly acquaint himself with the Raiders' playbook and stand ready to be Geno Smith's number two.
It's worth noting that Pickett's trade frequency is a rarity. With this latest move, he joins the likes of Sam Howell as being among the very few players to be traded three times within their first four NFL seasons, according to information gleaned from NFL Network Insiders. NFL Research spotlighted this uncommon stat, underscoring the kind of league mobility that'd make even Carmen Sandiego dizzy. As the Raiders prepare to square off against New England on September 7, they'll be hoping that Pickett can quickly settle in and deliver if called upon.
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