Who Should I Start? Kenny Pickett or Tyson Bagent

Monday, August 25, 8:18 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders are acquiring quarterback Kenny Pickett (hamstring) from the Cleveland Browns on Monday in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Geno Smith is the Raiders' unquestioned starter heading into the 2025 regular season in two weeks, but Pickett will now give the team plenty of backup experience after Aidan O'Connell (wrist) went down with a fractured right wrist that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. Pickett himself has dealt with a hamstring injury that he suffered late in July that kept him out of all three of the Browns' preseason games, but he has a chance to be available for Week 1 for the Raiders against the New England Patriots. Back in Cleveland, this trade means that one of rookie signal-callers Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders will be the QB2 behind Joe Flacco to begin the year.

Saturday, August 23, 12:28 AM

Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent completed 20 of 28 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns in the Bears' 29-27 comeback victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bears agreed on a two-year, $10 million extension with the backup quarterback on Wednesday, and then he overcame a two-score deficit in their final preseason game of the season. Bagent led a 10-play, 87-yard game-winning drive with under 90 seconds to go in the game, which ended in a six-yard touchdown to Jahdae Walker with seven seconds left in the game. Bagent will enter the 2025 season in relief of starting quarterback Caleb Williams, and he proved he can be productive given the opportunity this preseason.