Browns Trade Pitch Swaps Kenny Pickett for $34 Million Dual-Threat QB

The Cleveland Browns are likely to carry four quarterbacks into the regular season, but not necessarily the four currently on the roster.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter poured cold water on the idea that the Browns will deal one of their two veteran quarterbacks ahead of the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 7.

“I expect the Cleveland Browns to carry four quarterbacks on their final 53-man roster,” Schefter said Monday. “They’re gonna keep both rookies, they’re gonna keep Flacco, so we’re really talking about Kenny Pickett, and I expect he makes the roster because quarterbacks are currency.”

But if the Browns are only keeping both Pickett and Joe Flacco on the roster because “quarterbacks are currency,” then it makes sense that Cleveland will cash in on one of them if the right opportunity comes along.

Developments in the Indianapolis Colts‘ QB room on Tuesday, August 19, have paved the way for one such opportunity, as the organization named Daniel Jones the starter and relegated former No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson to the bench as his backup.

“Daniel Jones has been named our starting QB,” the team’s official X account posted.

Indianapolis has stated publicly that winning the starting job in 2025 wasn’t a necessity for Richardson to remain part of the team, but it stands to reason the franchise is now open to moving on from him for the right price. Pickett and a fourth-round pick might be enough to seal the deal if Richardson can’t beat out Jones in Indy.

Anthony Richardson Has Struggled With Injury, Performance Since Coming to NFL

The Colts will have to decide on a fifth-year team option for Richardson next spring, which will represent a significant figure considering the position he plays, his $34 million rookie deal and the 15 games he has started over his first two years in the NFL. The precise figure isn’t calculable until Richardson’s third season is complete, as playing time and various awards/honors are part of the equation.

Richardson is 8-7 as a professional starter. He has completed 50.6 percent of his passes for 2,391 yards, 11 TDs and 13 INTs and has also rushed for 635 yards and 10 scores.

He missed 13 games during his rookie campaign due to injury and has battled multiple health issues this preseason. Richardson started just 11 games in 2024, in part due to the team’s decision to bench him for a stretch in favor of Flacco based on poor play.

Browns Lining Up Several Shots at Finding Franchise QB

The Browns are in the process of rebuilding yet again and are stacking swings at the quarterback position. The acquisition of Richardson would fit into that model.

Cleveland drafted Dillon Gabriel late in the third round in April and Shedeur Sanders early in the fifth. Sanders played well in the preseason opener, while Gabriel struggled during his debut in the team’s second contest this month.

The Browns also own their own first-round pick in 2026 as well as that of the Jacksonville Jaguars via their trade down from No. 2 to No. 5 this year. Cleveland should be able to use one, or both, of those assets to climb high enough in the 2026 order to land one of the top quarterbacks in next year’s class — and are likely to do so.

Interestingly though, Richardson is actually younger than both Gabriel and Sanders. He is also a few months younger than LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and just two years older than Clemson QB Cade Klubnik — the top two prospects at the position in 2026.

Richardson needs development, but at 23 he still has tremendous upside. The Colts may be past the point of developing and using it, but the Browns theoretically wouldn’t be.