The Las Vegas Raiders dropped to 2-11 in the 2025 NFL season following a 24-17 defeat against the Denver Broncos on December 7 at Allegiant Stadium. Attention now turns to the quarterback situation as Week 15 approaches.
Geno Smith exited in the second half due to an injury, allowing backup Kenny Pickett to step in. Pickett, a former first-round pick, completed 8 of 11 passes for 97 yards and threw one touchdown.
As the game against the Philadelphia Eagles approaches, the question surrounding the Raiders is, who will be starting at quarterback? Head coach Pete Carroll shared the latest on the situation during his “1 on 1” appearance, published on December 9.
“I was really thrilled for [Pickett] to get a chance to play,” Carroll said. “He looked terrific in practice; he runs well, moves well, and throws the ball effectively on the move, which he showed in the game—scrambling for a first down, I believe. He might have missed his first three passes, but then hit seven or eight in a row; he came on really strong and finished on a good note.
“Now we have to see how Geno is—how banged up he is. He’s taken a lot of hits and has a few different things he’s working on to get back. We’ll see how that goes. Kenny will take over [on December 10] in practice and get going, and we’ll surely go slow with Geno as we bring him back.”
Pete Carroll Sticks With Geno Smith as Raiders Starting QB
This stance that Carroll is taking isn’t new. After the loss to the Broncos, the Raiders coach made it clear that Smith will be the guy if he’s healthy, as he dismisses making a change at quarterback despite the veteran’s lousy play this season.
“Let me just wait and see what happens,” Carroll told reporters postgame. “I’m going to do what I think is the right thing to do. If Geno can play, that’s my thought. But I know Kenny can play. Our players understood it, too. Kenny did a good job. They recognize that he might pull the game.
“I’m hoping for Geno to get back out there and see how he does, but we’re not going to play if he’s not right. Kenny will be ready to go, and Aidan [O’Connell] will be ready to go as well. That’s just the way we deal with it.”
Raiders Urged to Start Kenny Pickett
Despite Carroll being committed to Smith as long as he’s healthy, former Raiders wide receiver James Jones sees the situation from the opposite end.
“We’re in the National Football League,” Jones said on “Raiders Postgame Live.“ “When you don’t do your job, you get benched, or you get cut. That’s just the name of the business. I don’t care how much money you make. That’s just what happens to you. We’ve been scoring what? 14, 15 points a game? Yeah. So this ain’t no, Geno Smith has only had one bad game.
“We’re 2-11. Geno Smith has not played good football for a long time. You have to go with Kenny Pickett. There’s no other option to go with unless you go with Kenny Pickett to see if you could get a spark. As an offensive player, we have not been scoring. We need a spark. We need something different. The quarterback always gets blamed. It ain’t fair, but that’s what happens.”
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