The Las Vegas Raiders thought they finally had a surefire solution at quarterback when they traded for veteran Geno Smith this offseason. Seven games of the 2025 NFL season have proved, however, that the Raiders would be far better off with someone else under center.
Kenny Pickett has served as Smith's backup this year, but his only playing time has been a handful of snaps at the end of a 31-0 blowout against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7. Clearly, the regime that sent a fifth-round pick for him during the preseason doesn't truly believe he's a viable option.
Aidan O'Connell was supposed to be the team's backup, but after a rough preseason and a broken wrist that put him on the Injured Reserve, the Raiders made the plunge for Pickett. With O'Connell's return now imminent, Las Vegas' quarterback room may plummet into chaos.
Aidan O'Connell's return to practice will complicate things for Raiders
On Wednesday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the Raiders were opening O'Connell's 21-day practice window. This means the team will have three weeks to make a choice as to whether they want to activate him to the 53-man roster, move on from him, or place him on season-ending IR.
Pete Carroll was a huge fan of O'Connell's during the offseason, but a series of lackluster performances may have changed his tune. It's not like Carroll has shown much faith in Pickett, however, so the Raiders have some difficult decisions to make.
One option would be keeping all three quarterbacks on the roster. This would be a bit careless, as Las Vegas has so many other positions that need bolstering. Plus, Carroll hasn't shown any willingness to move on from Smith, so keeping three quarterbacks would feel like overkill.
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Another option would be to move on from Pickett. He may have the most trade value, given his name recognition and status as a first-round draft pick, but it would feel ridiculous for the franchise to give up on Pickett just a few months after trading an early Day 3 pick for him.
The final option would be to move on from O'Connell. As a third-year player with a year's worth of starts under his belt, it may surprise some Raiders fans to know that he has a market. It's not likely to be as strong as Pickett's would be, but Las Vegas could maybe get a 7th-round pick for O'Connell.
None of these options are desirable, as the quarterback position is a mess for the Raiders already, and O'Connell's looming return only further complicates things. O'Connell may be the quarterback most capable of having success on the roster at this point, but that clearly doesn't matter to Carroll.
It will be interesting to see how Carroll and John Spytek navigate this tricky quarterback situation. Getting things right at the most important position on the field is paramount, but it may not matter much in the long run anyway if the Raiders do the right thing and draft a rookie next April.