The Las Vegas Raiders were forced to turn to back quarterback Kenny Pickett after Geno Smith suffered a shoulder injury in Week 14. When it comes to Pete Carroll's Week 15 quarterback plan, the head coach is keeping his options open.
Carroll confirmed that Smith's shoulder, “locked up,” after taking a big hit. However, he doesn't believe his quarterback suffered a major long-term injury. The Raiders will continue to monitor Smith before making a final decision on his playing status, via the team's postgame press conference, h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
“I'm going to do what I think is the right thing to do, and if Geno can play, that's my thought,” Carroll said.
Before suffering his injury, Smith completed 13-of-21 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. As his replacement, Pickett completed 8-of-11 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. Neither quarterback's efforts were enough though, as the Raiders fell to 2-11.
Smith hasn't had the debut that Las Vegas was hoping for. Exiting Week 15, he has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,648 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Smith is tied for the league lead in interceptions, while the Raiders' passing offense at large ranks 26th overall, averaging 184.5 yards per game.
Still, Carroll seems committed to keeping Smith under center if he is healthy enough. If not, Pickett will get another opportunity to prove he belongs in the NFL. At 2-11 though, whoever is playing quarterback for the Raiders are essentially auditioning themselves for the 2026 season. Las Vegas will need to take a hard look at the position come offseason.
