Panthers To Sign QB Kenny Pickett

Kenny Pickett is once again on the move. The quarterback is joining the Panthers via a one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The pact is worth up to $7.5MM, per Schefter. The deal also includes $4MM in guaranteed money.

Pickett was the 20th overall pick in the 2022 draft, but he is already joining his fifth team four years later. The former Pitt Panther began his career as the Steelers’ primary starter from 2022-23. Across 24 starts, Pickett mustered an underwhelming 13 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.

After Pickett failed to establish himself as the Steelers’ solution under center, they brought in Russell Wilson as a replacement in the spring of 2024. The Steelers then traded Pickett and the 120th pick in that year’s draft to the Eagles for the 98th selection and a seventh-round choice in 2025. With Jalen Hurts entrenched as the Eagles’ starter, Pickett unsurprisingly saw little action during a Super Bowl-winning season for the club.

Pickett wound up on the move twice more before the start of the 2025 campaign. The Eagles traded Pickett to the Browns for fellow signal-caller Dorian Thompson-Robinson and a fifth-rounder last March. Expectations were that Pickett would compete for the Browns’ starting gig, but a training camp hamstring injury took a sledgehammer to his chances. Joe Flacco won the job, while rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders rounded out the depth chart behind him.

When Cleveland settled on its Flacco-Gabriel-Sanders depth chart last August, it dealt Pickett to Las Vegas for a fifth-rounder. Although Geno Smith struggled during a dreadful season for the Raiders, he still started 15 games. Pickett filled in for an injured Smith twice and finished the year 28 of 45 for 188 yards, a touchdown and two picks.

Coming off an NFC South-winning season in 2025, the Panthers are sticking with Bryce Young as their starting QB. But it appears Pickett will have a chance to steal the No. 2 role away from 38-year-old Andy Dalton. General manager Dan Morgan said last month that the Panthers “want to get a little younger and a little more athletic at that backup quarterback spot.” Pickett, 27, may be their answer.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.