In Week 14, the Las Vegas Raiders didn't just lose their seventh-straight game under Pete Carrol but also lost their starting quarterback, with Geno Smith suffering a shoulder injury that will likely keep him out of action against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15.
Fortunately for Raiders Nation, Pete Caroll has another option under center to turn to, one with plenty of experience in midnight green in Kenny Pickett, who won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia earlier this year. Discussing the idea of Pickett facing off against his former team in Week 15, Carroll noted he's liked what he's seen from the Pitt product in practice and hopes that will translate when the live bullets start to fly.
“I love the way he prepares and practices,” Carroll said via Rapoport. “He looked very good in the game the other night. We saw he did some really nice things, big plays, and escaped a little bit, got a little bit of running in. All of that looked really good. So, if he gets the chance to go, that was a good lead in for it.”
Could Smith still return this season, either in Week 15 or at some point in 2025? Carroll commented on that too, noting it will depend on how he responds to treatment.
“It's going to all depend on how [Smith] responds to the treatment, and they're doing an elaborate process here to get him right and make sure that he's okay,” Carroll explained via SI. “And we won't know until we get through that. We don't have any indicators yet, so I can't tell you. Am I concerned about him? I always want our guys to get back as soon as possible, and I know, as a competitor, he wants to get back out there as soon as he can possibly get there. And he will. He'll do that.”
Sitting at 2-11, the Raiders really aren't playing for much down the stretch, with ownership likely hoping for better draft positioning to land a player like Fernando Mendoza over some later-season run by Smith, Pickett, or anyone else to help save Carroll's job. Still, if it has to be Smith versus Pickett, why not give the Pitt product some run to see if he can be a bridge next year for Mendoza or Dante Moore next year, or to at least get some good play on film before free agency?
