The Las Vegas Raiders finished the preseason with a clear need for an upgrade in their quarterback room. While Geno Smith will bring some much-needed stability to the position, there was very little depth behind him.
Despite his preseason struggles, Aidan O'Connell appeared set to serve as the backup quarterback. However, he suffered a broken throwing wrist in the preseason finale. With sixth-round rookie Cam Miller clearly needing more time to develop, acquiring a backup for Smith became a clear priority.
The Raiders addressed the need on Monday as they sent a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to the Cleveland Browns for Kenny Pickett. Despite filling a key hole, Las Vegas was given an underwhelming grade for the move.
Raiders receive surprisingly low trade grade for Kenny Pickett deal
The Raiders' decision to trade for Pickett was somewhat of a surprise, as the Browns had hinted that they would roster four quarterbacks to begin the 2025 season. While the first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft may have represented the best option available, Las Vegas was given a "D" for the trade.
Ben Solak of ESPN, who handed out the grade, believed that the Raiders overpaid.
"The Raiders needed a backup after projected QB2 Aidan O'Connell broke his wrist during the preseason finale. Pickett fits the bill, most recently serving as QB2 to Jalen Hurts and the Super Bowl champion Eagles. Of course, Pickett will likely be QB2 for only the six to eight weeks O'Connell is out, and will be buried as QB3 beneath O'Connell (and likely never see the field) afterward," Solak wrote. "Since Pickett entered the league in 2022, he's one of 48 quarterbacks with at least 500 dropbacks. He is 40th in success rate and 47th in explosive pass rate. We're talking Sam Howell and Cooper Rush territory. I think it's a pretty big overpay for a QB2 who isn't even an above-average QB2, but it's tough to fault any team for caring about its quarterback depth chart so desperately. But the Browns are the clear winner in this deal."
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Pickett has been largely underwhelming in his brief NFL career. He has appeared in 30 games in his first three seasons, making 25 starts, and he has thrown for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Pickett has completed 62.4% of his pass attempts while adding 306 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
The deal made him the second player, along with Sam Howell, who accomplished the feat one day prior, and the first-ever first-round pick to be traded three times in his first four seasons. Despite the poor trade grade, the move was one that the Raiders had to make, considering the state of their quarterback room behind Geno Smith.
Additionally, Las Vegas should be able to replace the draft capital with a compensatory pick following the free agent departures of Nate Hobbs, Tre'von Moehrig and Robert Spillane. Pickett could also serve as the long-term backup instead of O'Connell, which makes the deal look more favorable.