No position in football—and perhaps sports in general—is more impactful than the quarterback position. Unfortunately for Sin City’s head coach Pete Carroll, that’s where the Las Vegas Raiders are at their worst. This is only made worse by Carroll looking to win immediately as opposed to building a winner over time.
Fortunately, however, Carroll and his general manager, John Spytek, have no shortage of available options heading into the offseason.
The Raiders will look to add a veteran under center this summer. With names such as Sam Darnold, Matt Stafford, Kirk Cousins, and Justin Fields [potentially] being available, the task of acquiring a signal caller who can step in and find immediate success should be made much more reasonable.
And one can’t forget about the sixth-overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, which may net Las Vegas a quarterback of the future to learn behind a veteran in the meantime.
With so many available options, there’s really no one specific path the Raiders should take. We at The Raider Ramble each have our own approach to this situation and our own preferred signal caller for Sin City.
The Raider Ramble staff’s solutions to Pete Carroll and the Raiders QB woes…
Alex Monfreda – @AlexMonfreda
It’s hard to pass on a quarterback of the level Sam Darnold played at in 2024 when the opportunity presents itself. As Raiders general manager John Spytek said, if a player of Baker Mayfield’s caliber happens to become available, for example, it only makes sense to jump on that opportunity. Darnold is, by far, the closest representation of Mayfield among [potentially] available signal callers.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell won this year’s Coach of the Year Award, and Darnold was a big reason why. Not because O’Connell “Made Darnold work,” but because the former first-round pick consistently put franchise quarterback tape on film. This greatly helped Minnesota secure a 14-win season.
35 passing touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 254 passing yards per contest and a 66.1% completion percentage. Asking yourself why those numbers are the way they are? Turn on any singular Vikings game this past season to see Darnold make game-changing plays other quarterbacks simply can’t.
Oh yeah—and he’s only 27 years old. It’s an obvious choice, provided Minnesota agrees to initiate the J.J. McCarthy era in the upcoming season.
Trevis Dampier Jr. – @trevisjay_
Justin Fields is the answer, unless Shedeur Sanders slips to pick number 6. Fields proved last season he can be a part of a winning program.
While Fields still has much improvement to make, the Ohio State alum is young and mobile. He would fit perfectly in Chip Kelly’s offense. This allows the Raiders’ first pick to be spent on a generational defender or star wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan from the University of Arizona.
Rolling with rooks…
Dalton Blackman – @blackman_dalton
It has to be Shedeur Sanders. The Raiders desperately need a young quarterback that can steady the ship and give the organization someone to build around.
While Sanders may not have elite physical tools, he meets all the NFL prerequisites. What is really exciting about him, though, are his mechanics and football IQ. He is much further along than most rookie signal callers. His floor is likely better than anyone currently on the roster.
While he may not ever reach the tier of a Patrick Mahomes or a Josh Allen, Sanders won’t be the reason his team loses. That is exactly what the Raiders need right now.
Las Vegas has plenty of stars elsewhere on the roster; they just need a steady hand at the game’s most important position.
Acquiring Sanders will not be easy. He has little to no chance of falling to the sixth overall pick, which means the Raiders will have to trade up. At a minimum, they will likely be forced to cough up this year’s second-round pick and next year’s first just to move up.
It is a lot for what will be a bit of a reach in terms of draft value, but the Raiders have to do it. They owe it to the core of their roster to at least try to get a legitimate franchise quarterback.
Another route for Pete Carroll and the Las Vegas Raiders
Jake Brockhoff – @brockhoff55
Unfortunately, the Raiders are yet again looking at an offseason without a fantastic opportunity to find their quarterback of the future. At first thought, pairing Russell Wilson, who’s had a long, successful career, with a rookie might make sense. However, Pete Carroll and Wilson didn’t end on the best of terms back in Seattle, so that might be unrealistic.
Sam Darnold would be an improvement but might be more expensive and has struggled in the playoffs. So, bringing in Justin Fields is their best bet in terms of free agency. He’d be a cheap, low-risk, high-reward signing.
Fields wasn’t terrific during his six-game stint in Pittsburgh but was responsible for 10 touchdowns and just one turnover while winning four games. He’d have more hope for the future than Wilson, Darnold, or Aaron Rodgers (don’t even think about it).
With all of that said, Las Vegas should use an early to mid-round pick to bring in extra competition. In case Fields, or whoever Las Vegas signs, doesn’t work out, developing a player like Jaxson Dart or Jalen Milroe could pay off in a year or two. However, that will vary greatly on draft day, just like it did a year ago when the Raiders saw six quarterbacks picked ahead of them at No. 13.
Best case scenario, the Raiders sign Fields and draft a prospect, giving them at least a little hope for the future in a bleak offseason. Worst case scenario, virtually anything is an improvement from what we had to endure in 2024.
*Top Photo: The Raider Ramble
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