With Matthew Stafford resting comfortably in the city he was never planning to leave in the first place, all eyes (among Raider fans at least) are now on the Raiders and where they will shift their attention at quarterback.
The Athletic’s Tashan Reed reported on Friday that the Raiders aren’t expected to make a “big splash” at quarterback, but it does sound like they are interested in a quarterback that isn’t going to come particularly cheap.
According to league insider Tony Pauline, who is always busy this time of year and has been a guest on the Raiders flagship radio station in the past, the Raiders are very much in the mix for Sam Darnold.
“After losing out on Matthew Stafford, what will the Las Vegas Raiders do next? There are still persistent rumors they may try to trade up for a quarterback in the draft. People close to Sam Darnold tell me that Raiders coach Pete Carroll will work to make a move to acquire the quarterback from the Vikings,” Pauline reported on Saturday.
“As has been reported elsewhere, Minnesota is seriously considering a tag-and-trade option with Darnold, similar to what the Packers did with Davante Adams just a few years ago before the Raiders acquired the receiver.”
For those wondering why the Raiders might prefer to trade for Darnold instead of signing him in free agency, the reason might be that they could get him to Las Vegas on a deal that he would not be willing to sign as a free agent.
If Darnold gets to free agency, it’s highly unlikely that he would take a one-year deal with a team other than the Minnesota Vikings. In fact, one of the riskiest business decisions on his part would be to sign with a team in rebuild mode (with no clear no.1 wide receiver) on a one-year deal.
Any team acquiring Darnold on a one-year deal more than likely wouldn’t be willing to give up more than a mid to late-round pick for him.
It was reported this week that the Raiders are “lukewarm” on Darnold and if that’s the case, a one-year deal would probably fit into their plans better than a long-term commitment.
As for the draft, the Raiders are expected to take a quarterback regardless of what they do at the position prior to the draft – unless they somehow end up with J.J. McCarthy, which seems incredibly unlikely, but maybe not impossible.
With the no. 6 pick in the draft, there is no guarantee a top quarterback will be on the board when Tom Brady and company are on the clock, although recent rumors around Shedeur Sanders are that he has a good chance of sliding in the draft.
Brady has an NIL deal with Sanders, so if he falls to the no. 6 pick it will be a unique situation considering Brady will have potentially the most influential voice in the building.
According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, the talk at the NFL Combine this week was that there are a lot of teams skeptical of Sanders.
“Two of the things I heard the most this week are teams are worried about Shedeur Sanders’ baggage and were really impressed with Jalen Milroe’s interviews,” Tafur tweeted before adding that Shedeur’s “entourage, money he already has, [and] his dad potentially being a loud factor” were the biggest concerns.
Sanders spoke with members of the media in Indianapolis this week and said he embraces the “haters” around his career, adding that they have always been there on account of his family name.
