Browns trade QB Kenny Pickett to Raiders for 5th-round pick

The Las Vegas Raiders spent the weekend searching for experience behind center, and they’ve landed it in the form of a former first-rounder.

The Cleveland Browns are shipping quarterback Kenny Pickett to Las Vegas in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round draft choice.

Pickett, originally taken 20th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft, is now on the move for the third time in his young career. That puts him in rare company — only he and Sam Howell, who was dealt from the Minnesota Vikings to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, have been traded three or more times within their first four years in the league over the past three decades.

Kenny Pickett, a first-round selection by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2022, has taken the field in 30 career games — 25 of those as a starter. Over that stretch, he’s piled up 4,765 passing yards with 15 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, completing 62.4% of his throws and guiding his team to a 15-10 record under center.

After two years in Pittsburgh, Pickett was dealt to the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason, where he spent the year as the understudy to Jalen Hurts. This past March, Cleveland sent a 2025 fifth-round pick along with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson to land him.

The 26-year-old was in the thick of the Browns’ quarterback competition over the summer but never saw the field in preseason action after suffering a hamstring setback on July 26. Head coach Kevin Stefanski had suggested as recently as Sunday that Pickett was trending toward being ready for Week 1.

Instead, Monday’s trade reshuffled the depth chart entirely, leaving the Browns with veteran Joe Flacco entrenched as the starter and two rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, battling to be next in line. Cleveland also cut ties with Tyler Huntley on Sunday, further streamlining the quarterback room.

Kenny Pickett will now have to hit the ground running in Las Vegas, getting up to speed with the Raiders’ playbook and slotting in as Geno Smith’s understudy. Meanwhile, the Browns press ahead with Joe Flacco at the helm, backed by their pair of rookie quarterbacks.