Kenny Pickett to Start for Raiders vs. Eagles, Who Is LV's QB2 with Geno Smith Out?

Kenny Pickett will start at quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at the Philadelphia Eagles for Geno Smith, who is dealing with shoulder and back ailments.

Aidan O'Connell will serve as the Raiders' backup QB.

Pickett is in his fourth NFL season after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected the ex-Pitt star with the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

He started two seasons for the Steelers before they went in a different direction and parted ways after the 2023 campaign. Pickett then worked as the Eagles' backup quarterback in 2024, winning a Super Bowl with the team.

Philadelphia traded Pickett to the Cleveland Browns last March. He then got dealt to the Raiders last August after the Browns chose Joe Flacco to be their QB1 at the time.

Pickett has seen limited action this year, completing 10-of-14 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. For his career, Pickett has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 4,870 yards (6.3 yards per attempt), 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

O'Connell, who is in his third NFL season (all with the Raiders), will be his backup. O'Connell played 20 games for the Raiders over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, starting 17 games. He completed 62.6 percent of his passes for 20 touchdowns (11 interceptions) while throwing for 6.5 yards per pass attempt.

Sunday features a tough challenge for the 2-11 Raiders, who will make a cross-country trip for a 1 p.m. ET game at the defending Super Bowl champions. Philadelphia has lost three straight games to fall to 8-5, and the offense is sputtering quite a bit. The Eagles' defense has fared well, though, ranking ninth in scoring.