Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of a Minnesota Vikings helmet during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns Linked to QB Trade With Minnesota Vikings

Originally posted on Cleveland Browns on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Aug 22, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Cleveland Browns have already decided that Joe Flacco will be their starting quarterback heading into 2025, which obviously spells bad news for Kenny Pickett.

The Browns acquired Pickett via trade earlier in the offseason and were expecting him to compete for the job in camp, but a hamstring injury definitely sabotaged his chances. Plus, there is a good chance that Flacco was always going to be the guy all along.

Now that Flacco is entrenched heading into Week 1, Pickett seems like a rather obvious trade candidate with Cleveland also having Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel on the roster. And with that, Bleacher Report's Alex Kay has suggested a trade tha t would send Pickett to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick.

"With Pickett dealing with injuries during training camp—and failing to distinguish himself in the Browns' high-profile four-man QB positional battle when healthy—his time in Cleveland could be extremely limited," Kay wrote. "While ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested the Browns might carry four signal-callers on their final roster, they should call around and see if they can get an early-Day 3 pick for Pickett before making that decision."

Trading Kenny Pickett makes sense for the Browns

Kay noted that the Browns initially acquired Pickett in exchange for a fifth-round pick and fellow signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson, so they would obviously be losing value here . But what more can Cleveland really expect to get in return for Pickett?

The Vikings definitely make sense as a potential Pickett destination given the fact that they are rolling with J.J. McCarthy as their starter and could use another backup behind him, even if they already have Sam Howell in tow.

Pickett spent last season as a reserve for the Philadelphia Eagles, but was initially selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He absolutely did not pan out for the Steelers and will now likely be a backup for the remainder of his career.

With Cleveland having two rookies on its quarterback depth chart behind Flacco, there really is no need for the team to retain Pickett.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Browns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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