On Monday, the Las Vegas Raiders found their solution to who will fill in for Aidan O’Connell behind Geno Smith.
In exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick, the Raiders acquired quarterback Kenny Pickett from the Cleveland Browns. Pickett was part of a logjam at quarterback in Cleveland along with Joe Flacco and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. While the Browns did say they would keep all four on their 53-man roster, getting something out of Pickett proved to be an offer they could not refuse.
Pickett comes to Las Vegas with the expectation of providing stability, but his arrival brings back an ironic memory involving Raiders minority owner Tom Brady.
Brady name-dropped Pickett in a heated exchange during a game against one another.
In his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022, Brady was caught giving a fiery NSFW speech to his teammates while they were losing to the Pickett-led Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I didn’t leave my wife and kids to be losing to Kenny f**king Pickett,” Brady said.
Now, in an ironic twist of fate, Brady and Pickett are now on the same side.
A former first-round pick, Pickett has spent time with Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, and the Browns. He has 25 starts to his credit in three seasons, going 15-10 and throwing for 15 touchdowns. Pickett also won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles, even getting to play in garbage time in their blowout victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Brady and the Raiders obviously hope they do not have to rely on Pickett extensively, but having him around as an insurance policy should be more than sufficient.
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