It seems Kenny Pickett has a lot to prove to the Cleveland Browns fanbase. The backup quarterback in the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl campaign last season came to Cleveland via a trade in March.
However, it's pretty clear from the reactions of fans after his Media day pictures were unveiled on Tuesday that the 27-year-old has not prompted any inspiration among the masses. Pickett’s photo wearing the black #8 jersey went viral, but not for the right reasons.

On X, fans were quick to respond to the picture of Pickett in Browns gear, with @CJ1744_ saying:
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“Still no aura. What a bum.”
“You’re a bum,” tweeted @AricMatney.
@BTBlitzPGH tweeted:
“I defended him til the death when he was in Pittsburgh… but man, this is the least intimidating photo I may have ever seen.”
The former first-round pick with the Pittsburgh Steelers is trying to get his career back on track after it sputtered in Steeltown. At the end of the 2023 campaign, the former University of Pittsburgh quarterback had just six touchdown passes and the lowest touchdown percentage of all eligible quarterbacks in the NFL.
Last year, he was traded to the Eagles, starting just one game in their Super Bowl triumph.
Many others poked fun at Pickett's photo as well:
“Will they use this image when he gets cut?”
“woW! Kenny should be the mascot for the Browns!” joked @WrinklewormG
@ComanagerJohn tweeted:
“Someone in the next room could sneeze and that ball is coming loose from that grip.”
Pickett joined the Browns with the hopes that he would get a chance to compete for the #1 job. However, he’ll have some pretty stiff competition to be the starter, with former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco and talented rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders all in the running to earn that spot.
In his brief time in the NFL, Pickett has struggled at times to hold on to the football, fumbling seven times in total, including four in his rookie season. That kind of a record could be a problem moving forward.
Pickett could be on the block
It’s still early days for Pickett in Cleveland, but reports obviously indicate that him getting the starting job is a longshot. On Monday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said that he believes the Browns will trade Kenny Pickett soon.
“I think they’re going to trade Kenny Pickett. I haven’t been told anything, I don’t know anything, I never know anything. But just reading between the tea leaves, as a wise man says,” Florio said.
“They’re not going to get rid of Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. They want to see which one of those guys can become the long-term guy. Pickett was the insurance policy they traded for early on. I think he’s the first guy out,” added Florio.
Gabriel and Sanders were drafted by the Browns in 2025, while Flacco was the last QB to take them to the playoffs in 2023.
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