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Kenny Pickett Makes NFL History Following Raiders Trade

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Austin C. Boyd | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 8:57 PM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders are getting very active before the start of the regular season. The team was dealt tough news when backup quarterback Aidan O'Connell fractured his wrist in the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.

He will be out for six to eight weeks, which leaves Cam Miller as the only quarterback behind Geno Smith. The Raiders were quick to change that.

Raiders Trade for Browns QB Kenny Pickett

O'Connell was having a terrible preseason before he got hurt, so there was a chance the Raiders needed to shake things up. Once he was out, the team had no choice.

The Cleveland Browns announced on Monday that they traded quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Raiders for a 2026 fifth-round pick.

details of the deal pic.twitter.com/ZKIt3gFR1C
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 26, 2025

Pickett was the early favorite to win the Browns' starting quarterback job, but an offseason injury led to him falling behind. Cleveland has Joe Flacco, Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel on the roster, so Pickett was expendable.

He's now set to be Smith's backup this season, and he gives the Raiders some starting experience in case they need to play another quarterback for any reason. This also helps alleviate any pressure to have to play Miller before he's ready.

Pickett Ties NFL History

Pickett has been bouncing around the NFL since he was a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles and then traded again to the Browns.

Now that he's been sent to the Raiders, that's the fourth time he's been traded in his career. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, Pickett is just the second player in the last 30 seasons to be traded three or more times in their first four seasons. Sam Howell just achieved the same mark on Sunday.

The only player in the last 30 seasons to be traded 3+ times within his first 4 NFL seasons was Sam Howell, who hit the mark yesterday.

Kenny Pickett is now the second.

Via @NFLPlus https://t.co/ksLO1Dc0G6
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 26, 2025