RELATED: See other important free-agent moves here.
Kenny Pickett Trade Terms
The Browns traded backup signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round draft pick to Philadelphia in exchange for 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
RELATED: See other important free-agent moves here.
Fantasy Football Impact
The Browns are trading for Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett, sending Philadelphia a 2025 fifth-round pick and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Pickett, who turns 27 in June, is a former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers who was selected 20th overall in the 2022 NFL draft. In two years with the Steelers, Pickett went 14-10 as a starter and completed 62.6 percent of his attempts for 4,474 yards. He also threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
Last March, the Steelers traded Pickett and a 2024 fourth-round pick to the Eagles for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks.
Pickett served as Jalen Hurts' backup in his lone season with the Super Bowl-winning Eagles and made one start. He completed 25 of 42 passes for 291 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
The Browns will have the opportunity to pick up Pickett's fifth-year option this spring, but it seems unlikely they would do so.
With Thompson-Robinson, a 2023 fifth-round pick, the only other quarterback under contract for the 2025 season, no longer in the mix, another addition is likely. So even though this move gives Dynasty investors squatting on Pickett some hope he might have a starting role, nothing is etched in stone.
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The Fantasy Football Fallout
As ESPN.com's Daniel Oyefusi noted, with Deshaun Watson set to miss a significant portion of the 2025 season after tearing his right Achilles tendon for the second time, the Browns were expected to add a veteran passer in free agency. With about $13 million in cap space entering Monday, Cleveland was likely to target budget-friendly options.
So the trade for Pickett, who carries a $2,623,350 cap hit, makes sense because it leaves them money to pursue another option.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler previously reported that Daniel Jones, Carson Wentz, and possibly Kirk Cousins (if released) were expected to be on the Browns' radar.
It's hard to view this as a positive for any of the current skill players of interest in Cleveland, most notably Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and David Njoku. They could take slight hits until we get a full resolution here.
Meanwhile, Thompson-Robinson, 25, started five games in two seasons with the Browns. He went 1-4 as a starter, completing 121 of 230 passes (52.6 percent) for 880 yards, 1 touchdown, and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 187 yards on 35 carries. He now gets a fresh start in Philadelphia, joining Jalen Hurts and Tanner McKee on the Eagles' depth chart. While Thompson-Robinson's skill set matches better with Hurts than Pickett’s, the UCLA product will likely serve as the team's No. 3 quarterback with McKee as the No. 2.
Stock Watch
Risers
- Kenny Pickett (for now)
- Tanner McKee
Fallers
Overview
Kenny Pickett is headed back to the AFC North. The Eagles agreed to trade Pickett to the Browns in exchange for quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a 2025 fifth-round pick. While Pickett could be Cleveland's 2025 starter, the team could still add another quarterback in free agency or in April's NFL Draft.
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