The Cleveland Browns have four quarterbacks, and though the team could carry all of them into the season, doing so could prove irresponsible given the emerging market for signal-callers and all the obvious needs the team could fill by trading one or two members of the position group.
No QB situation is more glaring than that of the Las Vegas Raiders, who just lost backup Aidan O’Connell for up to two months due to a broken wrist. Geno Smith is the starter, but sixth-round rookie Cam Miller out of North Dakota State is the only other passer on the roster. It isn’t a question of if the Raiders will make a move for a QB, but when.
The Minnesota Vikings just snagged Carson Wentz out of free agency after trading Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles, so the pickings are slim in that direction. A trade is more likely, and no team is more equipped to deal a quarterback than the Browns, who have a fifth signal-caller on the injury list in Deshaun Watson and just cut former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowler Tyler Huntley after he was the only QB to play in all three of Cleveland’s preseason games.
Kenny Pickett makes sense as a trade candidate for Las Vegas, as he heads into the fourth year of his rookie contract with a 15-10 career record. However, a bigger splash on both ends would involve flipping rookie Shedeur Sanders for disgruntled wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who just requested a trade out of the desert on Monday, August 25.
Jakobi Meyers Viable No. 2 WR, Fits One of Browns’ Glaring Needs
GettyLas Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
Meyers put up a career-best 1,027 receiving yards last season on 87 receptions, four of which went for touchdowns. He also produced north of 800 yards in each of the previous three campaigns.
“Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers recently met with team brass and requested to be traded, per me and [Tom Pelissero],” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported via X Monday afternoon. “The team, citing his value, said they had no plans to do so. Meyers and the team attempted to negotiate a new contract, but could not come to terms.”
While the Browns have too large of a QB pool, they have too few quality pass-catching options, and Meyers would represent a significant upgrade as a WR2/WR1-B.
Jerry Jeudy had a breakout campaign last season, though his numbers were meeker before Jameis Winston entered the lineup and started gunslinging down the field with his personal brand of reckless abandon. Jeudy’s metrics then returned, more or less, to their former status after Winston exited the lineup.
Cleveland’s No. 2 wideout is former third-round pick (2023) Cedric Tillman, who has 50 catches for 563 yards and three scores across his first two NFL seasons. Jamari Thrash is potentially in line to win the WR3 spot, and he has all of seven targets and three catches on his entire professional resumé.
Kenny Pickett Doesn’t Have Same Trade Value as Shedeur Sanders, Can’t Address Raiders’ Longterm QB Concerns
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Kenny Pickett.
Pickett would have to be a throw-in with a pick of significant value, perhaps a third-rounder or the like, for the Raiders to even consider trading Meyers.
After all, Smith is still a good player but he’s also turning 35 in October and playing on a two-year contract. The Raiders need a viable backup option now, which Pickett can provide, but they also need a plan for the future — and Miller is a flimsy one, at best.
Las Vegas passed on Sanders several times in the draft, despite his relationship with new minority owner and NFL legend Tom Brady as well as some pre-draft flirting with majority owner Mark Davis. But circumstances have changed with O’Connell hurt, and teams around the league know more about Sanders now.
His image took a hit based on how Sanders conducted his pre-draft interviews with a handful of teams, which contributed to his precipitous fall from a first-round prospect to the early fifth round. But Sanders has proven himself professional, grateful for his professional opportunities and capable since joining Cleveland in April.
Shedeur Sanders Has Rebuilt Some of Value He Lost During Pre-Draft Process
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
Case in point: Sanders started the team’s first preseason game due to an array of injuries in the QB room and played well, completing 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
He didn’t play again until the second half of preseason contest No. 3 and instead watched fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel start two consecutive games, as the Browns clearly favored getting Gabriel the reps.
When Sanders did step in, he played disastrously, completing 3-of-6 pass attempts for 14 yards and taking five sacks. The coaching staff pulled him from the lineup for the two-minute drive in favor of Huntely, who the team cut the next day — a borderline shocking move considering the information they could have gotten about Sanders with regards to a late-game, highly-pressurized situation after a poor performance to that point.
Sanders addressed the team’s decision after the game, saying he wanted to be in the huddle but accepting of the fact that head coach Kevin Stefanski took him out.
The 23-year-old QB remained confident in himself, adding that he “obviously” believes he has done enough to make the roster. However, he also took to social media with a message of positivity and optimism, thanking his supporters over the last several months.
“Thanks everyone for the [love] and support,” Sanders wrote on Instagram Sunday. “There’s a lot to learn from this preseason, but I’m really thankful for the opportunity to be out there. Day by day, rep by rep, I’ll keep learning and getting better.”
Shedeur Sanders Doesn’t Likely Have Longterm Future in Cleveland
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders has shown he deserves to be on an NFL roster. And with time, he could reach a relatively high ceiling in the league.
That is the kind of player the Raiders need, and if they aren’t willing to pay Meyers, a deal could make sense. Perhaps not before the season begins, but before the trade deadline in early November.
Meyers has one year remaining on his $33 million deal with a base salary of $10.5 million in 2025. Sanders straight up, or Sanders and a Day-3 draft pick, might be enough to get something done if Las Vegas decides to cash in its chips on the 28-year-old receiver (29 in November) and get something of value in return. And if that value is Sanders, it could end up being a franchise-altering deal for the Raiders.
Meanwhile, Huntley is a free agent Las Vegas could add without giving up anything. He could serve as a QB2 placeholder this year, while Brady and the rest of the organization build Sanders up.
Browns fans might argue the team should keep Sanders around, but Stefanski said a great deal by pulling the QB from the final drive of the final preseason game. Gabriel has the edge over Sanders and is almost certainly going to begin the season higher on the depth chart, which means he’s likely to get the first shot off the bench if things predictably go south in Cleveland.
And the Browns hold two first-round picks in the 2026 draft, where they will likely target one of the top QBs in the class — all of which means the chances of Sanders ending up Cleveland’s longterm starter are slim.
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