Silver And Black Pride
The word competition is thrown around so much in the Pete Carroll era, “comPete” became a term to describe the Las Vegas Raiders head coach’s philosophy.
We saw this manifest in a variety of ways, namely, Jordan Meredith winning the starting center gig and Jackson Powers-Johnson shifting to right guard and fighting for the gig with veteran Alex Cappa. Defensively, Kyu Blu Kelly impressed Carroll and his coaching staff so much, Kelly is now a starting outside cornerback. And, more recently, veteran running back Raheem Mostert ascended past Zamir White and was active in his first game as a Raider this past Sunday.
But what about quarterback?
After all, Geno Smith leads the league with seven interceptions thrown, is below the league average completion percentage of 65.3 percent at 63.8 percent, and is the fifth-most sacked signal caller in the NFL at 12. The 35-year-old quarterback is coming off a two-touchdowns, three-interception outing in a 25-24 Week 4 home loss to the Chicago Bears. And, just two weeks ago, Smith threw three picks with no touchdowns in a 20-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Also, take this into consideration: Joe Flacco, who is second in the league with six interceptions throw, was benched by the Cleveland Browns and the team will turn to rookie Dillon Gabriel at the all-important signal caller spot.
All logical reasons for a quarterback competition in Las Vegas.
No dice, says Carroll.
“No. Nope. We’re not there,” the Raiders head coach said when asked if he considered turning to backup Kenny Pickett to replace Smith after throwing a trio of interceptions this past Sunday.
You know a situation is a little dire when even eternal optimists see something going awry and deviation from the current path is ideal. Such as:
But as Carroll noted, Smith is entrenched as the starter. And it’s easy to see why there won’t be a fight for the QB1 role in Las Vegas when you look at: Smith’s contract, Carroll’s staunch belief in the quarterback, and Pickett’s resume.
Smith is the Silver & Black’s $75 million man.
When he was acquired from the Seattle Seahawks via trade — to reunite Carroll with the quarterback he helped resurrect — Smith and the Raiders agreed to a two-year, $75 million contract extension that runs through the 2027 season.
The Raiders are on the hook for Smith’s $24 million base salary, $16 million roster bonus, and $40 million guaranteed salary this year. In 2026, the quarterback’s base salary jumps to $26.5 million and his guaranteed salary is $18.5 million (and there’s no roster bonus). In 2027, Smith’s base salary is $39.5 million with no roster bonus or guaranteed coin. And that’s the potential out the Raiders have as there would be no dead cap tied to Smith. Smith’s dead money figure as of now is $58.5 million and in 2026, it’s an $18.5 million sum, according to Over The Cap.
On the money factor alone, Las Vegas is...
