What Kenny Pickett Brings to the Raiders

O'Connell struggled in the early stages of learning Chip Kelly's offense but was undoubtedly a dependable backup for the Raiders. At the very least, the Raiders had reason to believe O'Connell would continue developing as a quarterback, which takes time in the National Football League.

Quick, but Educated Decision

"Well, obviously, quarterbacks are an important commodity, and Kenny [Pickett] is somebody that we've had a lot of respect for for a long time. I was in Tampa in 2022 when he was a rookie and beat us, beat Tom Brady. He fit the profile of what we're looking for," Spytek said.

"He does a lot of similar things that Geno [Smith] does with his athleticism and ability to move the pocket and all that,” Spytek said.

Except for Smith, the Raiders lacked experience at quarterback before O'Connell's injury. O'Connell's injury only made the issue worse and essentially forced the Raiders to find a quality option to replace him. Spytek did the wise thing and did what it took to make that happen.

Pickett had the experience that Pete Carroll desired from whichever quarterback the Raiders decided to bring in. The Raiders' decision to add Pickett benefits them in more ways than one, and in more ways than may be evident at the moment. Spytek elaborated on the process of signing Pickett.

“You look around the league and you think, 'Who could be available, who could we get?' And the team with four quarterbacks certainly looks like a spot where you could get it. And so we felt like, organizationally, it made a lot of sense," Spytek said.

"We still are excited about working through Aidan's [O'Connell] injury and getting him back at some point, but we had to have some answers. And it would be a lot to ask a rookie from North Dakota State to be the number two guy going into New England in Week 1. So felt like it was a great move for us."

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