The Las Vegas Raiders‘ offense is under increasing scrutiny after a disappointing 1-4 start to the 2025 season with Geno Smith continuing to struggle and Kenny Pickett waiting patiently on the sidelines as pressure for a switch grows.
Head coach Pete Carroll faces mounting calls to make a decisive call under center after the Raiders traded for Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks with hopes that his veteran experience could stabilize the offense.
Instead, Smith‘s performance has been uneven at best as through five games of the 2025/26 NFL season, he has thrown nine interceptions, more than any other quarterback in the league.
And his 5.5% interception rate is among the worst in the NFL, and his QBR of 38.8 underscores the offense’s inability to sustain drives or capitalize on scoring opportunities.
This season was expected to be a new chapter for the Raiders but instead, the early results have mirrored the franchise’s recent past, with Smith a large part of the blame as pressure grows on Carroll.
It’s the third time in eight years that Las Vegas has opened with a 1-4 record in the AFC West as questions about the team’s direction, and its starting quarterback, are now dominating the conversation once again.
“They did bring over Pickett just to be a backup,” Rashad Jennings told Vince Sapienza, hinting at a change. “But these are the type of times, folks, where you ask those questions in a room, is it time to split time?
“Do we give Pickett a chance to get in for a few plays and see what happens or not? Of course, when your record is what it is and your quarterback hasn’t played extremely well, leading the NFL in interceptions, you start to wonder.
“But I have no doubt that the organization and the head coach, especially Pete Carroll, will evaluate it properly and put the best player out there for the team next week.”
Could Kenny Pickett replace Geno Smith at Las Vegas Raiders?
Smith‘s $75 million, two-year contract, which carries a $40 million cap hit, adds another layer of complexity as the Raiders are now mortgaged to the 35-year-old veteran after picking him up from Seattle.
While the investment suggests confidence in him as the starter, his struggles, including three-interception performances against both the Chargers and Bears, have eroded fan patience.
In contrast, Kenny Pickett remains an intriguing alternative. The 26-year-old has 25 career starts, throwing for 4,765 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, along with five rushing scores.
He’s shown flashes of poise and mobility, traits that could complement Carroll‘s emphasis on competitive balance and offensive control.
Last season, Pickett‘s lone start for Philadelphia ended in a win, where he threw two touchdowns and no interceptions. It’s a level of efficiency the Raiders have lacked.
Yet, despite the team’s issues, Carroll appears reluctant to make a quarterback change. His long-standing belief in internal competition may ultimately determine whether Pickett gets his shot.
If Smith‘s struggles persist, however, the calls for a switch will only grow louder, and Carroll may soon have no choice but to test whether Pickett can provide the spark this Raiders offense desperately needs.
Read the full article here
