Browns Trade Kenny Pickett to Las Vegas Ahead of 53-Man Roster Deadline

After battling through a hamstring injury throughout much of training camp, the Cleveland Browns sent former first-round pick Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders

Jun 12, 2025; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) looks on during mini camp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns won't be keeping four quarterbacks on their 53-man roster after all.

Less than 24 hours before the NFL's cut-down day deadline, the Browns sent veteran quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for a 2026 fifth-round pick.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise after executive vice president of football operations Andrew Berry seemed to confirm Cleveland's plans to keep four QBs on the active roster during the broadcast of team's preseason finale with the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.

The team has since confirmed the move.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) runs for a touchdown as safety Rayshawn Jenkins (28) gives chase during training camp July 25, 2025, in Berea, Ohio. | Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

However, after Raiders backup QB Aidan O'Connell suffered a wrist injury over the weekend – an injury that is estimated to keep him out for an extended period of time – finding a formidable backup signal caller became a top priority for the franchise. They found one in Pickett.

The 2021 first-round pick has been dealing with an injury of his own. Just four days into the Browns training camp, Pickett suffered a pretty serious hamstring injury and was shut down for several days. Per the team's training staff, Pickett slowly ramped things back up in the weeks that followed, first only participating in 7-on-7 and individual drills.

More recently he started taking snaps in 11-on-11s again but missed all three of the team's preseason games due to the ailment. On Sunday, following the team's preseason win over the Rams, head coach Kevin Stefanski revealed that Pickett would be ready in time for Week 1 and was expected to be the primary backup to Joe Flacco.

Instead, Pickett will hold the same role in Las Vegas, while the Browns pivot to a QB room that features Flacco as the starter, with rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders behind him.

The Browns acquired Pickett from the Philadelphia Eagles back in March, trading a fifth-round pick and 2022 fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson in return. There was a lot of optimism in the organization that Pickett could win the starting job outright during camp, but those plans were quickly derailed by the hamstring injury.

For Berry to recoup a fifth-round pick from Vegas means the trade essentially ends as a wash for Cleveland, especially since the Eagles waived DTR as part of their roster cuts.

And so, the Browns head into the regular season with a more standard three-man quarterback room that prioritizes their two rookie signal callers, who are now likely to see time sooner rather than later, especially if things go sideways with Flacco.