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By Matthew Schmidt
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Las Vegas Raiders will be starting Kenny Pickett at quarterback against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday, as Geno Smith is dealing with shoulder and back issues.
But could Pickett ultimately supplant Smith as the starter for the remainder of the season?
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Vincent Bonsignore of The Las Vegas Review-Journal thinks that would be a terrible outcome for the Raiders. Why? Because Pickett might actually help Las Vegas win a couple of games, thus sabotaging its draft position.
“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 on The Morning Tailgate.
Bonsignore makes a very good point.
Pickett is hitting free agency at the end of the season, so you can bet he will be playing his tail off if he gets the opportunity to start the last few games of 2025.
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We already saw glimpses of that against the Denver Broncos last week, when Pickett went 8-for-11 with 97 yards and a touchdown after filling in for Smith.
The Raiders are in dire need of a franchise quarterback, and the only way for them to realistically acquire one will be through the NFL Draft. Fernando Mendoza, Dante Moore and Ty Simpson are projected to be the top three signal-callers available in April, but if Las Vegas wins more games down the stretch, it could ruin its chances of landing any of them.
Remember: the Raiders did this last year, winning back-to-back contests against the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints in Weeks 16 and 17 and ultimately falling to No. 6 in the NFL Draft order.
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After facing the Eagles this weekend, Las Vegas will take on the Houston Texans, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs to conclude the regular season. Luckily for the Raiders' draft position, that is a pretty tough schedule, with only the Giants looking like a very winnable game for the team.
But with Pickett now under center, the dynamics have certainly changed in the desert.
For more on the Las Vegas Raiders and general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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