In a completely wild turn of events, the Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders have pulled off a shocking quarterback trade. The Raiders are getting Kenny Pickett and sending a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Browns.
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With Aidan O'Connell being injured, the Raiders now have insurance behind Geno Smith.
Even more interesting is what this trade does for the rookies on the Browns roster.
Through training camp and preseason, there were multiple reports that the Browns were going to keep four quarterbacks into the regular season. Browns general manager Andrew Berry even indicated so during the final preseason game.
Despite the concern that carrying two rookies over a veteran, it appears the Browns are plenty comfortable with the signal callers they have on hand.
Pickett being moved is also massive news for Shedeur Sanders, who spent most of training camp as the fourth-string quarterback. After a strong debut in the first preseason game, Sanders dropped the ball in the final preseason outing, amassing only 14 yards.
Sanders was sacked five times, with many of those sacks being due to his holding the ball for far too long. Even stranger was that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski chose to put Tyler Huntley in, not allowing Sanders to complete a two-minute drill.
Despite all the controversy, it appears that Stefanski had every intention of retaining Sanders on the roster. He would presumably be the third-string emergency quarterback.
Joe Flacco is the starter for the Browns, and it is believed that Dillon Gabriel would now serve as the backup. The rookies did showcase some good decision-making on the field, despite Sanders not having a good game in the preseason finale.
Despite training camp and preseason indicating that all four quarterbacks would remain on the roster, Pickett now gets a fresh start with the Raiders. He will step in should anything happen to Geno Smith.
Pickett spent two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and then played in one season with the Philadelphia Eagles. After joining the Browns in free agency, he will now head out west.
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