With Geno Smith continuing to play like a washed-up quarterback, many have wondered why the Raiders haven’t been willing to take a look at Kenny Pickett or Aidan O’Connell.
Pickett played well in relief of Smith on Sunday and there’s a chance Smith won’t be healthy enough to play this week against the Eagles.
So why not roll out Pickett against the Eagles and see if the former first-round pick might have a future with the team?
It seems like a reasonable idea to bench Smith, but according to at least one team insider, a move to one of the backup quarterbacks could come with a cost.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vinny Bonsignore was on the Raiders’ flagship radio station on Tuesday, and he explained why no Raider fans should be hoping to see Pickett before the end of the season.
“I’m being straight up… I’m just saying… if you’re a Raider fan, you don’t need anything to come in here and some guy go out there, play with his hair on fire and win a couple of meaningless games. It would just be so detrimental at this point,” Bonsignore said of the Raiders’ quarterback room on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate.
Essentially, the last thing the Raiders need right now is a win. And if the team’s best option at quarterback is Pickett or O’Connell, they need to stick with who has been keeping them in the loss column – and that player is, of course, Geno Smith.
It’s ironic, but it seems like the Raiders’ best chance at losing is to keep their ‘Big Bucks’ $75 million quarterback (who they gave up a third-round pick to get) in the lineup and let him finish what he started.
From the outside, it appears Pete Carroll is determined to stick with Geno and there is no better time than the present to let Geno keep cooking.
Whether Tom Brady and GM John Spytek like a quarterback in this year’s draft or not (Bonsignore believes they do), the value of the first-overall pick is going to be significant with Fernando Mendoza and potentially Dante Moore on the board.
If they can “earn” the first overall pick, the Raiders could draft a prized quarterback or make a blockbuster trade with a team who wants Mendoza or Moore.
It’s hard to believe the situation has gotten to this point, but the best plan for the Raiders going forward is to leave their starting quarterback on the field and hope he keeps playing the way he has all season.
x: @raidersbeat
So your saying, instead of playing for pride and do what is right for the fan base that keeps the money flowing,
the coach should keep playing the inept QB, and HOPE? (or give him a game plan to lose) so Mark Davis, Spytek and Brady can get a better draft option? If smith plays injured and loses like you predict, i think the NFL and the Betting community should demand an investigation!
I’m with Vinny
The only reason to keep playing Geno is if the Raiders are fully committed to tanking for the 1st overall pick. Because playing Geno guarantees losing until the end of the season.
Aiden O’Connell is not the answer. We have already seen what he can do the last 2 years. Nothing. Hell O’Connell couldn’t even beat out Gardner Minshew for the starting job last year. This year Cam Miller out played O’Connell during the preseason. Maybe it’s time to move on from O’Connell. Trade him or give him his unconditional release.
Agreed, Aiden is a big zero, cement legs, a backup at best. Keep Pickett, get rid of PC, ID a young up and coming HC, draft a QB the brain trust thinks can be our franchise QB, build the OL and maybe, just maybe start acting like a competent franchise for once and start improving.