From Pittsburgh to Las Vegas: Kenny Pickett’s journey to prove himself under Pete Carroll

By Canadian Press on August 28, 2025.

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Coach Pete Carroll’s first Raiders roster is made up of players, he said, who have something to prove, who carry the proverbial chips on their shoulders.

One of the newest Las Vegas players, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, is the epitome of that kind of attitude.

“Well, anybody that’s been traded as much as he has, that chip that he carries, I think he’s got a traveling bag with it,” Carroll said Thursday. “He made a really good first impression out here, really comfortable. Has picked stuff up amazingly fast for all of the systems he’s been through. You think his brain could be all jumbled up, but he is a really good learner.”

This is Pickett’s past 17-plus months:

— March 15, 2024: Traded by Pittsburgh to Philadelphia.

— March 10, 2025: Traded by the Eagles to Cleveland.

— Monday: Traded by the Browns to Las Vegas.

But it’s more than that. Pickett, who played at the University of Pittsburgh, was drafted 20th in 2022 by the Steelers with the hopes of being their next Ben Roethlisberger. It didn’t quite work out that way.

Pickett went 14-10 as their starter, showing flashes at times, but with a 15-14 touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio, not nearly the consistency the Steelers wanted from a franchise quarterback. He lasted just two seasons.

Pickett was part of the Eagles’ championship team last season, but was the clear backup to Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts. Then in Cleveland, he was to be the No. 2 to Joe Flacco while rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders sucked up much of the media oxygen.

And now Pickett is in Las Vegas where Geno Smith is the unquestioned starter.

But maybe Pickett will follow Smith’s lead of resurrecting his career under Carroll, which is what happened when both were in Seattle and Smith went there as the reserve QB. Then perhaps Pickett will find some needed stability in Las Vegas after all the recent bouncing around.

That constant movement and uncertainty, however, instilled in Pickett the importance of not getting ahead of himself.

“This is my third playbook in the last 12 months, so I’ve learned a lot of football,” Pickett said. “A lot of things are similar. It’s the terminology that I’m really trying to get down. Constant communication with the coaches, my teammates in the huddle. I’ve never had to ask a question in the huddle before. … So just taking a day at a time and figuring it out.”

The Raiders sent a 2026 fifth-round draft pick to the Browns after expected backup Aidan O’Connell broke his right wrist in Saturday’s preseason game at Arizona. O’Connell, projected to miss six to eight weeks, was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

Las Vegas could have gone with rookie Cam Miller as the backup, but general manager John Spytek said he wasn’t ready. Miller was signed to the practice squad.

“Kenny is somebody that we’ve had a lot of respect for for a long time,” Spytek said. “I was in Tampa in 2022 when he was a rookie and beat us, beat Tom Brady. He fit the profile of what we’re looking for. He does a lot of similar things that Geno does with his athleticism and ability to move the pocket and all that.

“You look around the league and you think, ‘Who could be available, who could we get?’ And the team with four quarterbacks (Cleveland) certainly looks like a spot where you could get it, so we felt like organizationally, it made a lot of sense.”

Notes

Smith on offense, Maxx Crosby on defense and AJ Cole on special teams were selected as team captains in a vote by the players. “They have been leading since the moment we got here, and they’re exactly the right guys,” Carroll said. “These guys voted them almost unanimously, so really proud to represent our club with those guys.” … The Raiders claimed safety Tristin McCollum off waivers from the Eagles on Thursday. The third-year pro played in 14 games last season and started twice, making 33 tackles and breaking up two passes.

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Mark Anderson, The Associated Press