Everything is pointing up for the Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback room right now. After the offseason that saw this team sign veteran Kirk Cousins and then draft Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, the fan base has to be feeling a whole lot different than they were in recent years.
Speaking of recent years, the 2024 season was, well, not great ... surprise! But, during that season, the Raiders saw former starters Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell deal with injuries and, about halfway through the year, Las Vegas brought in a former third-round pick to help bolster their depth.
Desmond Ridder was signed off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad after Week 7, and it only took less than two weeks for him to see some action. Fast forward to the present day, however, and Ridder woke up this morning a member of the Green Bay Packers.
That is, until the Packers signed veteran Tyrod Taylor and released Ridder in a corresponding move.
Raiders fans can feel even more thankful for Fernando Mendoza after the Desmond Ridder news
Let us not forget that there was a day when Ridder stepped into the Raiders' starting quarterback role. Yes, it was short-lived and due to injury, but back in Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season, Ridder started a primetime game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Ridder would wind up going 23 of 39 for 208 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. But that wasn't his only action of the season. As mentioned, he first played in Week 9 in a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and he stepped in in Week 14 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
He would also appear briefly in Week 18 during a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
To say the 2024 season was cursed would be just like many other recent Raiders seasons, specifically at the quarterback position. But finally, it's looking back on years like those that can now help Raider Nation feel even better about the future.
For Ridder, though, it looks like this could be the end of the road. Sadly enough, his career only began a few short years ago when he was drafted in 2022.
Since his time with the Raiders, Ridder spent some very short stints with the Bengals and Minnesota Vikings before being in Green Bay for the past five months. Having not appeared in a game all of 2025, not even as an active backup, Ridder might very well be nearing the end of the line at just 26 years old.
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