Sam Howell and Kenny Pickett both made NFL history over the past two days, but not the kind a player wants to make.
On Sunday, Howell became the first NFL player in 30 seasons to be traded three or more times in his first four seasons. On Monday, Pickett joined him as the only other member of that exclusive group.
Howell was a fifth-round pick of the Commanders during the 2022 NFL draft and played two seasons for the team, including 17 starts in 2023. In March 2024, he was traded to the Seahawks along with a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft in exchange for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick that same year. He appeared in two games for the Seahawks.
In April of this year, the Vikings sent the Seahawks a fifth-round pick (No. 142) in the 2025 draft in exchange for Howell and a fifth-rounder (No. 172). On Sunday, the Eagles continued that train by sending a fifth-rounder in 2026 and a seventh-rounder in 2027 to Minnesota for Howell and a 2026 sixth-rounder.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Pickett with their first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft (No. 20), and he spent three seasons with the team, starting 25 games. After the Steelers signed Russell Wilson in 2024, Pickett asked for a trade. That request was granted on March 16, when Pittsburgh sent Pickett and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft to the Eagles for a 2024 third-round pick and two 2025 seventh-round picks. Pickett backed up Jalen Hurts as the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX.
On March 12 of this year, the Browns acquired Pickett from Philadelphia in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 draft and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Pickett then lost out in a four-way quarterback competition as Cleveland traded him to the Raiders in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft.
To add insult to injury, Thompson-Robinson was waived by the Eagles on Sunday.
Pickett and Howell keep trying to find the right fit for them in the NFL. So far, neither has landed in a spot where he can thrive.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell Both Make Dubious NFL History One Day Apart.
