Who Should I Start? Geno Smith or Michael Penix Jr.

Wednesday, December 31, 3:41 PM

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll said that quarterback Geno Smith (ankle) will not play on Sunday against the division-rival Kansas City Chiefs in the Week 18 regular-season finale, according to Ryan McFadden of ESPN. "I hate closing the door on any opportunity, but it's going to be really hard for him," Carroll said. Smith suffered a serious ankle injury in the Week 17 loss to the New York Giants and won't suit up for a meaningless contest to close out the regular season. With the 35-year-old veteran wrapping up a brutal first year in the desert, backup Kenny Pickett is expected to start this weekend. Aidan O'Connell could also end up splitting time with Pickett against KC. Smith was one of the worst starting QBs in football in 2025, completing 67.4% of his 448 pass attempts for 3,205 yards, 19 touchdowns, and a league-leading 17 interceptions in 15 starts.

Tuesday, February 3, 10:56 AM

Atlanta Falcons president of football Matt Ryan was non-committal on Tuesday to Michael Penix Jr. (knee) being the team's starting quarterback in 2026, according to Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Penix suffered a torn left ACL last November and is currently recovering after having surgery. He is expected to be out anywhere from nine to 12 months. The 25-year-old completed 60.1% of his passes for 1,982 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions in nine games in 2025 in his first full year as the starter, with the Falcons going 3-6 in his starts. Penix was the eighth overall pick out of Washington in 2024. New head coach Kevin Stefanski has been complimentary of Penix since taking the job, but his health and status as the starter will be a big question mark going into training camp and the start of the 2026 regular season this fall. Penix's fantasy stock is down, and his lengthy injury history -- he's torn his ACL three times -- is a big reason why.