The Las Vegas Raiders have a less than appealing quarterback’s room right now; you have to wonder if it played a part in Kliff Kingsbury not coming to Las Vegas.
Let’s be honest. Put yourselves in Kingsbury’s shoes for a minute. The Raiders have Aidan O’Connell and not much else behind him, assuming Jimmy Garoppolo is a goner. On the other hand, the Washington Commanders could have an opportunity to draft a generational talent in Caleb Williams. This isn’t a fact, much less a report, but is it feasible that Kingsbury used the Raiders as leverage, knowing he wanted the gig that could reunite him with his USC project?
Caleb Williams or Aidan O’Connell: That’s not a tough choice, right?
Now, this isn’t a knock on O’Connell, but last season was a mixed bag at best for the Purdue project. There were certainly some highlights that are worthy of praise, but is he a franchise signal-caller? Conversely, Williams is seen as the type of quarterback who will flip the fortunes of the NFL team that drafts him.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the reason for the Raiders and Kingsbury walking away from the table was “a contractual hang-up.” Interestingly, the Commanders are now poised to “swoop in” and hire Kingsbury. Isn’t it interesting how all of that played out?
As for the Raiders, they’ve moved on in their search for an offensive coordinator. It appears that Luke Getsy will take over the reins after Bo Hardegree’s dismissal. At least, that’s what the word is, barring yet another surprise this offseason. In terms of what all of this means for O’Connell, maybe he’s indeed “the guy” with Getsy in tow.
This is based on nothing, but I wonder if the Getsy hire means the #Raiders could end up sticking with AOC. Again, not a report, just a thought.
— Bill Williamson (@BWilliamsonNFL) February 4, 2024
If the Chicago Bears decide to pass on Williams in the draft, the Commanders can draft him at No. 2 with Kingsbury running the offense; all of this will make more sense. However, a lot of things will have to go the Commander’s way. For Raiders fans, it will have marred a golden opportunity to rebuild their offense; instead, they’ll have to settle for Getsy. Ouch.