Jeff Driskel
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Washington Commanders quarterback Jeff Driskel.
If you weren’t sure exactly how precarious the quarterback situation was with the Las Vegas Raiders before, the last few weeks have shown the cupboard is pretty bare.
With veteran Geno Smith as the starter, the Raiders have made 2 seemingly disparate quarterback moves since backup quarterback Aidan O’Connell fractured his wrist and was put on the injured reserve on August 27.
First, the Raiders traded with the Cleveland Browns for former first round pick Kenny Pickett. They followed that move by signing former Washington Commanders quarterback Jeff Driskel on September 1.
Driskel, 32 years old, is on his ninth NFL team in 10 seasons.
It would actually be smart for the Raiders to keep 3 quarterbacks on their active roster. Smith will turn 35 years old in October and Pickett already has a history of injuries, including getting knocked out of multiple games in 2024 as backup quarterback for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Driskel Well Known NFL Journeyman QB
Driskel was a part-time starter at the University of Florida for three seasons before transferring to Louisiana Tech for his final college season in 2015, when he threw for 4,026 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 8 interceptions.
Driskel was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round (No. 206 overall) of the 2016 NFL draft. After the 49ers released Driskel, he played three seasons as a backup for the Cincinnati Bengals before bouncing around the league for the last decade.
The Commanders signed Driskel to a 1-year, $1.125 million contract on April 1, 2024, and he saw action in one game for the Commanders last season playing behind a pair of former Heisman Trophy winners in 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota.
One of NFL’s Worst Starting QBs In Recent Memory
The results for Driskel when he’s been forced into a starting role have not been good — in fact he’s been about as bad as any starting NFL quarterback in recent memory.
Driskel is 1-11 as a starter over his career, with his only victory coming when he started a career high 5 games for the Bengals in 2018. Driskel has also started games for the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Cleveland Browns.
At the end of the 2025 season, Driskel will have approximately $10 million in career earnings.
Pickett Dealing With Hamstring Injury
There might be some uncertainty over whether Pickett will be available as the backup for the Raiders for the season opener on Sunday, September 7, against the New England Patriots because of a hamstring injury.
Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was the head coach for the 49ers when they drafted Driskel in 2016.
“A little dot connecting: Newly signed#Raiders practice squad QBJeff Driskel was drafted by the 49ers in 2016,” SB Nation’s Bill Williamson wrote on his official X account on September 2. “Their head coach was Chip Kelly.”
“The Raiders have signed veteran journeyman QBJeff Driskel to the practice squad,” Raiders fan Graphk Raider wrote on their official X account. “Honestly don’t understand this move at all unless Pickett’s hamstring injury is worse than initially reported.”