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Pete Carroll thought the Las Vegas Raiders would be further along at this point in the 2025 season. But after a 2-5 start, the Raiders' coach is open to making changes to the starting lineup, which could possibly include a change at quarterback. Quarterback was among the positions Carroll was specifically asked about this week in terms of possible roster changes. Carroll took out Geno Smith and replaced him with Kenny Pickett during the later stages of this past Sunday's 31-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. "We'll see," Carroll said. "The competition is on and we're not through thinking that way about opportunities for guys. "I thought it was right to get [Smith] out, and Kenny needs to get some snaps. You know, right off the bat, he screws up, missed the the freaking first snap. But and he just needs some playing time in case we need to call on him so he feels comfortable jumping in." As Carroll alluded to, Pickett fumbled his first snap on Sunday, a mistake that simply added to the debacle that was the Raiders' performance against the Chiefs. It was an especially rough game for a Raiders offense that gained just three first downs and 95 total yards. Specifically, it's been tough sledding this season for Smith, a former Pro Bowler who previously played for Carroll with the Seahawks. Smith has thrown a league-high 10 interceptions to go along with just seven touchdowns. While he didn't throw a pick against the Chiefs, Smith and the Raiders' offense failed to move the chains. Smith threw for just 67 yards as he and the Raiders were unable to overcome the absences of wideout Jakobi Meyers and tight end Brock Bowers, who were out with injuries. Sunday was the first live reps this season for Pickett, a former first-round pick who spent two seasons as the Steelers' starting quarterback before winning a Super Bowl ring last year as Jalen Hurts' backup in Philadelphia. Pickett -- who was traded to Cleveland back in March -- was in line to be the Browns' starter this season, but an injury during training camp ultimately led to him being traded to Las Vegas prior to the start of the regular season. Quarterback aside, Carroll is hoping that his team plays better across the board when it returns from its bye week. "I'm surprised that we're not farther along than we are," he said. "I thought we would be, and I anticipated being farther along and being cleaner with our game. "What I'm trying to show you is that we can play really balanced football, meaning that all three phases can do their part and give us a chance to play the game where we're not giving the game away." Part of Carroll's challenge is changing a culture of losing that has been hovering over the Raiders' organization for the better part of 20 years. While they were once one of the NFL's dominant franchises, the Raiders have made the playoffs just twice since their most recent Super Bowl appearance in 2002 and haven't had a winning season since 2021.
