Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett could be on the move. Again. In a recent ESPN column outlining passers who could be on the move at the deadline, Pickett was among the first names Dan Graziano mentioned.
“True,” Graziano wrote in a Monday column when given a True/False if a quarterback will be dealt. “Now, it could be someone such as Carson Wentz or Kenny Pickett, which wouldn’t exactly make headlines…”
The rest of his response offered up oft-discussed names like the Atlanta Falcons’ Kirk Cousins and the New York Giants’ Russell Wilson. But the fact Pickett was named ahead of them is interesting. Pickett’s NFL career has been defined by trades. In just his fourth season, he’s been dealt three different times: Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, Philadelphia to Cleveland, and Cleveland to Las Vegas.
While Graziano believes a trade is in order, others have mused if Pickett could soon start for the Raiders. Geno Smith has struggled this season with a pair of three-interception performances, including in Las Vegas’ Week 4 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Raiders are 1-3 with a tough schedule ahead, travelling to Indianapolis and Kansas City in two of the next three weeks. With a Week 8 bye after, the team could be ripe for a change.
Or a trade, if Graziano is to believed. His comments seem more speculation than hard-core reporting and the Raiders might not have much incentive to trade a backup quarterback they just dealt for. It’s unclear who would be in the market for Pickett, either. Including Wentz on that list also seems questionable given his value to Minnesota; he could even remain the starter once J.J. McCarthy gets healthy.
A midseason Pickett trade would make modern NFL history, breaking a tie with fellow 2022 draftmate Sam Howell for most times being dealt in a player’s first four years.
Graziano’s suggestion even seemed to catch colleague Jeremy Fowler off-guard.
“Man, Pickett getting dealt for the third time in a calendar year would be tough on his real estate portfolio,” Fowler wrote in his section of the column.
Though enough teams have shown interest in trading for Pickett, there has to be a point where teams stop acquiring a player seemingly no one wants. Unless and until Pickett gets a long starting runway and impresses, his value is that of a journeyman quarterback. Steelers fans are well-aware of that and some section may be tired of hearing about Pickett. But the headline of this article was clear. So is the readership of articles with “Pickett” in them – he’s still a popular man in Pittsburgh to hear about, even if it isn’t in rooting interest.
Set to be a free agent after 2025, Pickett could again be on the move in 2026. This time, through free agency instead of trade.
