A shoulder injury held Raiders quarterback Geno Smith out in Week 15, but he’s making a quick return. Head coach Pete Carroll announced that Smith will start against the Texans on Sunday (via Levi Edwards of Raiders.com). Smith is expected to remain the Raiders’ starter for the rest of the season.
Looking to snap a seven-game losing streak, the Raiders turned to veteran signal-caller Kenny Pickett in Philadelphia last Sunday. It couldn’t have gone much worse. Pickett completed 15 of 25 passes for a minuscule 64 yards in a 31-0 defeat. The Eagles intercepted the former first-round pick once and sacked him four times. The Raiders fell to 2-12 in their second shutout loss of 2025.
Pickett was dreadful last week, but it hasn’t exactly been a banner season for Smith. The Raiders hoped reuniting Smith with Carroll, who previously managed decent results together in Seattle, would lead them back to respectability. In hindsight, the franchise’s hierarchy of owner Mark Davis, part-owner Tom Brady, and general manager John Spytek might undo both the hiring of Carroll and the Smith pickup.
Just 14 games into his Raiders tenure, Carroll is already in danger of losing his job. Smith’s performance hasn’t helped Carroll’s cause.
The Raiders gave up a third-round pick for Smith and then handed him a two-year, $75MM extension, but he hasn’t justified either investment. The 35-year-old has logged 16 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and an 84.5 passer rating – his lowest full-season mark since 2014. He ranks 32nd among 33 qualifying passers in QBR, beating out only Titans rookie Cam Ward.
The Raiders are dead last in the league in points per game (14.0), and improving on that number in Houston will be a tall task for their Smith-led offense. The 9-5 Texans, who are riding a six-game winning streak, rank first in the league in total defense and PPG allowed (16.1).
If Sunday’s matchup goes as expected, the Raiders will remain in contention for the No. 1 overall pick. With two games left after that, management will soon decide whether to keep Smith around for another year. While Smith’s $18.5MM salary for 2026 is already guaranteed, that’s the only dead money they’d eat in releasing him. Another $8MM in guarantees is set to vest in early March, but the Raiders could move on before then. With Smith, Pickett, Aidan O’Connell, and Cam Miller comprising the Raiders’ current group of quarterbacks, odds are their 2026 starter isn’t in the organization yet.