According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Panthers are interested in signing Raiders QB Kenny Pickett as a free agent.
Carolina has expressed a desire to get younger at backup quarterback this offseason and Pickett is a full decade younger than current Panthers backup Andy Dalton.
Pickett, 27, was a four-year starter at Pitt, breaking out in his final season. He was the 2021 ACC Player of the Year, First Team All-ACC, and finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
The Steelers used the No. 20 overall pick on him in the 2022 draft. Pickett signed a four-year, $14,067,904 contract that included a $7,411,203 signing bonus. There was also a fifth-year option for the team to pick up in 2025.
Pickett was in the third year of that deal when Pittsburgh traded him to the Eagles during the offseason. After a year in Philadelphia, the Browns acquired Pickett in 2025 but declined his fifth-year option. He was later traded to the Raiders coming out of the preseason.
In 2025, Pickett appeared in six games with two starts for the Raiders and completed 28 of 45 pass attempts for 188 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
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