The Las Vegas Raiders can now officially get started on the hunt for their next quarterback or the face of the franchise. They have been at it for three years now counting this season, with failed attempts at Jimmy Garoppolo and Gardner Minshew by way of free agency. Then they drafted Aidan O’Connell and tried that route of a day-three pick.
So, now they are in a difficult position, where the team needs a franchise guy, but may not be in a position to draft one at No. 6 in this upcoming draft. And, the guys in this upcoming class who do play the QB position aren’t all guaranteed franchise quarterbacks. So, what do the Raiders do?
Many are implying that they should draft a rookie quarterback late in the draft, maybe on day two or early day three, and still sign a veteran who is proven. There are thoughts that the Raiders could pursue guys like Aaron Rodgers, who just played for the New York Jets in a terrible two seasons after having played several great seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
But one guy that keeps coming up the most is Sam Darnold, who just played with the Minnesota Vikings but has been on a few teams now like the Carolina Panthers and the New York Jets as well. He is also a name several have linked to the Raiders, including one of the biggest insiders there is.
“I think the Las Vegas Raiders are gonna make a play for Sam Darnold,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter said on the Pat McAfee show on Monday. “I think he’s a candidate to be the Raiders quarterback. We will see if Minnesota lets him go or not. So, yeah we will see if that works out with Sam Darnold winding up in Vegas.”
Now, the fit is there but Darnold is really only good if there are pieces around him and the offensive line is good. The Raiders still have a lot to work on in that facet. And, do they really want to do the same thing they just did two years in a row?
The Raiders need a quarterback, badly, but Darnold isn’t a guarantee.
