John Spytek continues his trigger-happy run by once again getting great value for something he desperately needs
John Spytek has been busy lately making trades and answering calls, and now he’s traded for backup QB Kenny Pickett.
On Monday, Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek signed former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper, shortly after news broke that WR Jakobi Meyers wants to be traded. Now, he’s traded for a backup quarterback.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Raiders are trading for Cleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett and sending the browns a 2026 fifth-round pick. Some may say that the value is bad, but it’s actually good.
John Spytek acquires backup QB Kenny Pickett for great value
Spytek has been busy, but everything he’s done has been valuable for the Raiders. He signed Cooper, who played for the Browns and Buffalo Bills last season, and the two years before that had 1,100 receiving yards. That’s crucial because of the nature of the Meyers situation.
Then, he’s traded for a backup QB, one of the most important positions in sports, after losing Aidan O’Connell, who fractured his wrist against the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason. With O’Connell expected to miss six to eight weeks, they needed a backup QB.
It seems like the backup QB position is a premium these days, so the Raiders were likely going to have to pay the price for that to jump the waiver wire line. And, Pickett is not as bad as most think he is. Let’s also remember, this is a guy that, as harsh as it sounds, we hope we don’t see in 2025. If we do, that means something went wrong.
Pickett was actually in line to win the starting job in Cleveland until a hamstring issue sidelined him for a bit, according to several on the Browns beat. So, this is actually great work by Spytek, and it has to make them feel like if Pickett ever did have to play for a few weeks, they would be okay.
