All the Maxx Crosby trade speculation almost makes you forget about the fact that the Raiders don't really have a QB.
So much success of the Pete Carroll era in Las Vegas depends on how the Raiders plan on addressing the quarterback issue this offseason, and even before they hired Carroll, the team has been involved in basically every free agency rumor out there. Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and even Matt Stafford (??) have been connected to the team via weird internet speculation in one way or another since the season ended, and that's not even mentioning the possibility of drafting Shedeur Sander, which isn't feeling like quite the sure thing it was earlier this year.
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And according to a recent piece from ESPN's NFL Senior Writer Jeremy Fowler, it sounds like the team is leaning toward Darnold. Fowler floated an interesting little nugget of information in a much longer and more depressing breakdown of how far the Raiders are from actually competing in the AFC West.
The latest Raiders intel from ESPN could hint at how Raiders plan to approach QB issue
" ... But part of why Pete Carroll was hired was to clean up the mess and provide stability that can last. That takes more than a year. In the meantime, figuring out a quarterback plan that works would be useful. Multiple league execs have predicted that Sam Darnold is a viable option, given Las Vegas is picking outside of the top five in the draft. Others believe the Raiders will draft a QB high. And heck, Carroll's old friend Russell Wilson is available. But every option should be exhausted here ... "
It's all just speculation for the next month, but it's not like a Darnold to the Raiders reality is surprising at this point. Even with the 6th overall pick in this year's draft, the Raiders are behind three or four teams that need quarterbacks in a two-QB draft. Trading up's always on the table, but that's obviously a whole thing. If Darnold's willing to take a few years off the back of a contract in exchange for some guaranteed money elsewhere, and the front office isn't in love with this QB class, then you start to kinda see the rationale. I didn't say love it, just see it.