Raiders QB Kenny Pickett
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New Raiders QB Kenny Pickett is embracing change with a competitive mindset for 2025.
The first day of free agency lived up to the hype with non-stop transactions once theNFL’s legal tampering window opened up. For some teams, they said goodbye to beloved players; someteams’ signings have given hope to downtrodden fanbases, and other signings just filled a need on the roster. One signing the Carolina Panthers made would land in the latter category.
On Monday, the Panthers signed Kenny Pickett to a one-year, $7.5 Million, according toAdam Schefter. The deal comes a few weeks afterSchefter reported that the Panthers were receiving calls on backup QB Andy Dalton for a potential trade.
Pickett is a former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. After two lackluster seasons in Pittsburgh, hewas traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he began his career as a backup quarterback.
Journeyman
After being traded in 2024, Kenny Pickett effectively ended his tenure as an NFL starting QB. Pickett, though, hit the jackpot for a backup QB. With the Eagles, Pickett got to play with his childhood favorite team while backing up Jalen Hurts.
InPickett’s only start of the season for an injured Hurts, he helped lead the Eagles to an NFC East division title. Pickett even got to take the final kneel-down of the Super Bowl because the Eagles blew out the Chiefs.
Last offseason, Pickett was traded to the Cleveland Browns and hoped to land the starting QB job, but ultimately lost out to Joe Flaccoand was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Pickett appeared in six games for the Raiders last season, going 28-of-45 passes, a 62.2 completion percentage, for 188 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The Panthers will bePickett’s fifth team in three seasons,in what has become a journeyman career.
Great Locker Room Guy
The key for any backup quarterback to have longevity in the NFL is to be well-liked within the locker room, and the Panthers seem to be getting just that with Kenny Pickett.
Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer wrote on Twitter about a text he received aboutPickett’s personality from a teammate on the 2024 Eagles.
“Text from a member of theEagles’ Super Bowl staff: “I love Kenny Pickett. Great dude. He was great. A team guy that players liked, too. Tough player that earned a lot of respect,”Kaye wrote.
Pickettwas alsopraised by a coach on the staff that season, who also recognizedPickett’s physical limitations.
“From another coach from theEagles’ 2024 staff on Pickett: “Loved him. Great locker room guy. All the (wide receivers) liked him a lot,”Kaye wrote. “He was good. (He) did well in the game he played in.Doesn’t have a big, huge arm, but (sees) the field well. Will be a good backup down there. And obviously, a guy youdon’t worry about playing if he has to.”
With Dalton likely on the move and Bryce Young missing at least a game every year as a starter, Pickett is likely to see action at some point, and with a 16-11 career record as a starter, Pickett can do just enough to help a team win a game.