Adarius Pickett (born September 5, 1996) is a gridiron football defensive back for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at UCLA.

Adarius Pickett
refer to caption
Pickett with the Argonauts in 2023
Ottawa Redblacks
Position:Defensive back
Personal information
Born: (1996-09-05) September 5, 1996 (age 27)
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:El Cerrito
(El Cerrito, California)
College:UCLA
Undrafted:2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
CFL status:American
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Career CFL statistics
Tackles:201
Interceptions:2
Quarterback sacks:11
Player stats at NFL.com · CFL.ca

Early life edit

His father Antoine Pickett, played minor league baseball for the Kansas City and Oakland systems. Graduated from El Cerrito High School in 2013 were played running back and cornerback, rushing for 1,800 yards and 31 touchdowns, while posting 70 tackles and nine interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns.[1] At El Cerrito Pickett was named Bay Area News Group East Bay Football Player of the Year during highschool he played on both sides of the ball and on the special teams and got the nickname “Pick-Six” after making many big plays.[2]

College career edit

Pickett played in 50 games over four seasons at UCLA, finishing his career with 274 tackles, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, seven interceptions and 20 passes defensed. Pickett led all defensive backs in the nation with 123 tackles as a senior, earning second-team All-Pac-12 for his efforts.[3]

Professional career edit

Chicago Bears edit

Pickett signed with Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent following the 2019 NFL Draft but was released on May 5.[4]

Los Angeles Chargers edit

On May 16, 2019, Pickett signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.[5] He was waived on August 31, 2019 and re-signed to the practice squad on September 17.[6][7] He was released on October 1, 2019.[8]

New England Patriots edit

On December 11, 2019, Pickett was signed to the New England Patriots practice squad.[9] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 6, 2020.[10] On July 26, 2020, Pickett was released before training camp opened.[11]

Pickett had a tryout with the Tennessee Titans on August 23, 2020.[12]

Montreal Alouettes edit

Pickett signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL on June 9, 2021.[13] In his first season, he played in 14 regular season games where he had 23 defensive tackles, 12 special teams tackles, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble. In 2022, Pickett played in 16 regular season games and recorded 73 defensive tackles, seven special teams tackles, four sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 14, 2023.[14]

Toronto Argonauts edit

On the first day of free agency, on February 14, 2023, it was announced that Pickett had signed with the Toronto Argonauts.[15]

In February 2024, he was slated to become a free agent.

Ottawa Redblacks edit

On February 5, 2024, during the CFL's Free Agency communication window, it was reported that Pickett would be signing a contract with the Ottawa Redblacks once the free agent market opens on February 13.[16] On February 6, he was officially released by the Argonauts.[16] His one-year contract with the Redblacks was made official later that day.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ "Adarius Pickett". patriots.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  2. ^ Hammon, Stephanie (25 December 2013). "East Bay Football Player of the Year: Adarius Pickett, El Cerrito". mercurynews.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Adarius Pickett". Patriots.com. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  4. ^ Mayer, Larry (May 2, 2019). "Roster moves: Bears sign 22 undrafted rookies". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  5. ^ "Adarius Pickett Signs with Bolts". Chargers.com. May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "Chargers Announce Roster Moves". Chargers.com. August 31, 2019. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "Chargers Announce Pair of Signings". Chargers.com. September 17, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "Chargers Promote TE Stephen Anderson to Active Roster". Chargers.com. October 1, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  9. ^ "Patriots sign K Josh Gable, DL Eric Lee and DB Adarius Pickett to the practice squad". Patriots.com. December 11, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  10. ^ "Patriots Sign Seven Players to Future Contracts". Patriots.com. January 6, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Alper, Josh (26 July 2020). "Patriots drop to 80 players ahead of training camp". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  12. ^ @AlbertBreer (August 23, 2020). "And here's today's tryout/visit list. Ex-Ohio State QB Cardale Jones and ex-Lions RB Theo Riddick worked out for Vegas" (Tweet). Retrieved August 24, 2020 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ "Alouettes add six players to the nest". MontrealAlouettes.com. June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  15. ^ "Boatmen sign American DB Adarius Pickett". Canadian Football League. February 14, 2023. Retrieved February 14, 2023.
  16. ^ a b "Report: Adarius Pickett heading to the nation's capital". CFL.ca. 2024-02-05. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
  17. ^ "REDBLACKS sign All-Star DB Adarius Pickett to one-year deal". Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-02-06.

External links edit