Kenny Pickett won a Super Bowl ring as the Philadelphia Eagles’ backup quarterback. Less than a year later, he’s in line to start against his former team at Lincoln Financial Field.
Pickett is expected to fill in for Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith, who, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, is unlikely to start Sunday because of a right shoulder injury.
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Smith, 35, won’t practice Wednesday, per Rapoport. The one-time NFL Comeback Player of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler exited a 24-17 loss to the Denver Broncos this past Sunday at the end of the third quarter.
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Raiders head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, per ESPN, that Smith’s shoulder “locked up” when the veteran got hit while delivering a 3-yard pass to tight end Brock Bowers. Pickett, a 2022 first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers who has been traded three times since the end of the 2023 season, replaced Smith for the entire fourth quarter, during which he completed 8-of-11 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown.
Las Vegas is 2-11 and has been slumping to dead last in the AFC West with seven straight defeats. The Raiders traded for Smith this past offseason and signed him to a two-year, $75 million extension. That move reunited Smith with Carroll, with whom he resurrected his career with in Seattle.
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Smith hasn’t enjoyed the same success in Vegas, though. A struggling Raiders offensive line has made life hard for the 2013 second-round pick and New York Jets castaway. Smith has taken 49 sacks, tied with Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward for the most in the NFL. Smith is also tied with the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa for the most interceptions in the league, with 14 thrown through 13 games.
Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was fired midseason. He was let go after the Raiders’ Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Smith was sacked 10 times that day. After the game, Smith, who was even booed pregame, frustratedly flipped off fans in Allegiant Stadium.
Pickett, 27, backed up Jalen Hurts last season, appearing in five regular-season games. He won his only start of the season, a 41-7 drubbing of the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys. Pickett even got to take the field during the Super Bowl, stepping in for garbage time snaps during the Eagles’ blowout victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
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He arrived in Philadelphia after going 14-10 as the Steelers’ starter over the 2022-23 seasons. He competed for the Cleveland Browns’ starting job this summer before being traded to the Raiders.
If Pickett does in fact get the nod Sunday in Philadelphia, he’ll try to spark a Raiders offense that hasn’t scored more than 17 points since a 30-29 overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9.