Contrary to what Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry said Saturday, his team does have the decision whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option for quarterback Kenny Pickett. But that decision apparently has already been made.
Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported Monday that the Browns will not be picking up the fifth-year option for Pickett.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. All NFL rookie contracts are four years with the exception of first-round picks, who also have a fifth-year option attached to their entry-level deals.
The deadline to pick up fifth-year options for 2022 first-rounders is May 1.
Pickett is entering his fourth season in the league. Without his option picked up, he will have one season in Cleveland to prove he deserves a long-term deal with the Browns.
Cleveland’s decision on Pickett’s fifth-year option came a few days after the Browns selected two quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Browns picked Oregon quarterback Dillion Gabriel at No. 94 overall in the third round. Then, Cleveland chose Colorado signal-caller Shedeur Sanders at No. 144 overall in the fifth round.
Browns Decline Fifth-Year Option for QB Kenny Pickett: Report
Even before selecting two quarterbacks in the 2025 Draft, it was highly unlikely Cleveland was going to pick up Pickett’s fifth-year option. Doing so would have meant the Browns essentially agreeing to pay Pickett $22.117 million on a one-year deal for 2026.
That’s a very affordable average annual salary for a starting quarterback in today’s NFL. But Pickett wasn’t a starter last season and is far from guaranteed to start for Cleveland in 2025.
The Browns acquired Pickett in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. Afterwards, Pickett stressed that he sees himself as the team’s 2025 starter.
“That’s the plan, man (to start),” he told TribLive.com’s Jerry Dipaola on April 12 “I’m not going there to hang out. I want to go play. I’m excited, been working hard for it, taking it a day at a time.”
But the Browns also brought back veteran Joe Flacco, who won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award with Cleveland in 2023. Again, the Browns also added Gabriel and Sanders in the draft.
With all four quarterbacks, Pickett’s future with Cleveland is rather murky. NFL teams don’t typically keep four quarterbacks on their active roster. Pickett could potentially be the odd-man out since the Browns are almost certain to find space for their two rookies, and Flacco is the most experienced signal caller of the group.
Pickett, though, is the most recent first-round pick of the four quarterbacks. The Browns could view him as more than just a veteran backup.
“Kenny Pickett’s a guy that I believe in, that we believe in,” Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said at the NFL owners meeting in March. “So we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
Pickett Reunited With WR Diontae Johnson
In addition to Pickett, the Browns are taking a flier on another player the Steelers formerly viewed as a major part of their future — receiver Diontae Johnson.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Monday the Browns signed Johnson to a contract.
Johnson experienced an extremely rocky 2024 season. The Steelers dealt him to the Carolina Panthers during the first week of free agency last March. After seven games, Johnson was then a NFL trade deadline acquisition for the Baltimore Ravens.
But after appearing in just four contests, Johnson refused to enter a game for Baltimore, which resulted in a team suspension and eventual release. Johnson finished the season with the Houston Texans, playing in one regular season game and one playoff contest.
Maybe a Pickett-Johnson reunion, though, can revitalize both careers. Johnson posted 51 catches, 717 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 13 games with the Steelers during 2023.
Pickett went 14-10 as a starter for Pittsburgh. He passed for 4,474 yards and 13 touchdowns with 13 interceptions and a 62.6% completion percentage in 25 games.
