Report: Browns trade Kenny Pickett to Raiders, paves way to keep Shedeur Sanders

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Las Vegas Raiders have traded for Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett. The Raiders were looking for a backup to Geno Smith after Aidan O’Connell went down with a long-term injury. Pickett will be their guy, giving the Browns just three quarterbacks on the roster now.

“Sources to The Insiders: The #Browns are trading Kenny Pickett to the #Raiders for a fifth-round pick in 2026,” Garafolo said via X. “Pickett gets dealt for the second time in just under six months and Vegas gets an experienced backup to Geno Smith with Aidan O’Connell sidelined.”

Pickett dealt with a hamstring injury for most of training camp. No appearances came during preseason action, meaning his spot in Cleveland was in jeopardy after the two drafted two rookies. Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were the ones who mainly got the preseason run for the Browns.

While they have three quarterbacks, the Raiders are thankful to have two. Pickett’s issue is not expected to be a long-term one, meaning he should be ready for the Week 1 showdown against the New England Patriots. Of course, Las Vegas is hoping Pickett does not have to step onto the field, as Smith is the starter.

Ryan Clark discusses Shedeur Sanders preseason discourse

There has, perhaps, never been a more polarizing rookie fifth-round pick than Shedeur Sanders. Certainly, there are many fans who are excited about him moving forward, but that excitement hasn’t seemed to align with the Browns’ usage of him, and that’s led to some conspiracies among fans that he’s being sabotaged by his own team.

For ESPN’s Ryan Clark, there’s no conspiracy. Instead, as he explained on Get Up, Shedeur Sanders is being treated like any fifth round pick should be treated. There’s just more attention on him, which is exacerbated by the public perception and the NFL’s perception of Sanders as a player not aligning.

“What it is that they’re doing is they’re treating Shedeur Sanders like a fifth round pick,” Ryan Clark said. “We’re not covering every fifth round pick in the NFL, hoping that he gets the opportunity to be the starter on Day 1. We felt like, oh my goodness, they got a diamond in the rough. Shedeur Sanders fell to the fifth round. They felt like they evaluated him there, and that’s where they picked him. They’re playing the guy that they picked in the third round over him because they evaluate him at a higher level than what they do Shedeur Sanders.”

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report