After the failed Gardner Minshew experiment, the Las Vegas Raiders will be going back to the drawing board in 2025 in search of a signal-caller who can lead this franchise into the future.
Luckily, the Raiders’ abysmal season may not be in vain, as the team is currently well-positioned to grab one of the top quarterbacks in next year’s class, which would be the ideal avenue for Las Vegas to find its guy.
However, one NFL analyst believes it’s possible the Raiders dip their toe into the free-agent market to find their next quarterback. Pro Football Network’s Starling Xie recently named the Raiders among the best landing spots for Minnesota Vikings quarterback, Sam Darnold.
It’s difficult to say whether Darnold’s a fit, given the uncertainty surrounding the Raiders’ coaching staff. However, like the Giants, Las Vegas can be expected to bring in a veteran option to compete with a rookie who may not be ready to start right away.
Vegas also has the second-most projected cap space behind only the New England Patriots, so the Raiders could theoretically outbid any team for Darnold on a hefty short-term deal.
Darnold has been sensational for the Vikings this season, resurrecting his career in the process. However, the veteran signal-caller isn’t likely to be back in 2025 considering the Vikings drafted J.J. McCarthy in April.
It stands to reason that Darnold is going to make a significant chunk of change in free agency with the season he’s having, and the Raiders will be well-equipped to sign him, with Las Vegas projected to have $110.2 million to work with, per Over the Cap.
But there is just no way the Raiders can put their eggs in this basket, especially if they have a top-two pick like they do now.
For starters, Darnold has only had one good year and there’s no telling if he can keep it up. Furthermore, the Raiders have already gone down the veteran free-agent quarterback route before, only to see it fail on multiple occasions.
Barring the Raiders falling far in the order between now and the end of the season, we fully expect Las Vegas’ next franchise quarterback to come from the 2025 NFL Draft.
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