Before the Cleveland Browns have even taken a snap this season, they made a key decision on one of their big offseason acquisitions. They decided not to pick up a fifth-year option on quarterback Kenny Pickett, who landed with the team for a chance to start for them in 2025 after being traded there in exchange for a 5th round pick and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
Pickett, the former first round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has a lot to prove. He has struggled for much of his career, having been thrown into the fire with Pittsburgh as a starter his rookie and sophomore year in the league with little success to show for it.
In his one year with the Philadelphia Eagles, he played well in relief of an injured Jalen Hurts, but it probably helped to have not been the teams' savior at that point in time.
With the Browns, he's expected to compete for the role of QB1 against Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. He was obviously traded for by the team because they saw something in his play that would warrant such a move. But, their following move related to Pickett - not picking up his fifth-year option, making him a 2026 free agent, speaks volumes to their plans for their QB room this year.
Browns giving Pickett prove-it year
With the team not providing Pickett with a fifth year on his current deal, they're giving him major motivation to compete for the starting job - or, at least to compete for the backup role behind whoever is the starter. It means that they believe he can tap into another level of his game, and ultimately prove his worth as a starter in the league during a contract season.
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Pickett feels like the potential odd man out of this quarterback room as it currently stands. Gabriel, despite his height, was a proven success at his three college stops in his collegiate career. Sanders turned two college franchises into winning programs, and he'll be seeking to do the same in Cleveland if his comments to student-athletes in Cleveland are to be taken at face value.
But, he's got an edge over those two rookies in that he's been in the league for three, going on four, years now. He's been through the highs and lows of being a rookie quarterback turned backup turned emergency option. If that hasn't made him hungry to, with possibly his last chance at a starting audition, truly show out, then nothing will.