The LA Chargers are forced to play in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL with three total playoff teams and one team that just reached its third consecutive Super Bowl. As if it was not hard enough for the Bolts, the Las Vegas Raiders are making aggressive moves this offseason to join the conversation.
As aggressive as the Raiders have been in hiring Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly, there is still a lot of work to be done in Vegas. The Raiders do not have a starting-caliber quarterback while also boasting a roster that is by far the least talented in the division.
Everything can change and the rebuild can be accelerated if the Raiders land the right franchise quarterback, though. Thankfully, the early top candidate for the Raiders is someone who Chargers fans don't have to worry about: Sam Darnold.
Chargers fans should root for Raiders to sign Sam Darnold
Two months ago this would have been a more troubling development as Darnold was having a career year with the Minnesota Vikings en route to potentially securing the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
However, the wheels started to fall off in Minnesota with Darnold reverting back to his old form. The former New York Jets quarterback turned in back-to-back stinkers in the biggest games of the year. Darnold completed 18 of 41 passes for 166 yards with no touchdowns in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions. In the NFC Wild Card Round, Darnold completed 25 of 40 passes for 245 yards with one touchdown and one pick.
Darnold tanked his free-agent value with the awful showing. While he still has value as a starting quarterback, he cannot be taken seriously as a quarterback who can lead a team to the Super Bowl until he actually goes out and does it.
What a perfect quarterback for the Raiders to hitch their wagon to, though. It would be a classic Raiders move to overpay Darnold after his career year only for him to continue playing like he did the last two games of the year.
After all, Darnold was playing for one of the best offensive minds in the league while throwing to the best wide receiver in the league. As great as Brock Bowers is, there would be a massive downgrade in terms of weapons and offensive line help in Vegas.
The Raiders literally just made this exact same mistake last offseason. Las Vegas bet on Gardner Minshew after he had a career year with the Indianapolis Colts. Minshew followed that up with an awful season for the Raiders in which he was benched for Aidan O'Connell.
Chargers fans should celebrate the Raiders wanting to make the exact same mistake two years in a row. These decisions will never take Vegas out of quarterback purgatory and will ensure the Chargers are always a step ahead.
