Dating back to his first stint in the NFL, new Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly has worked with a who's who of quarterbacks. Michael Vick, Sam Bradford, Colin Kaepernick and Nick Foles to name a few. Foles had the most success with Kelly. Over the course of his career, he has worked with both mobile and pocket quarterbacks, so nothing can be ruled out. What follows is a list of alternatives to what is the top priority going forward.
1. Sign Justin Fields or Sam Darnold
Fields would be the young mobile option if Pittsburgh doesn't resign him. He played admirably in the steel city and wouldn't cost that much against the cap. He had the lowest turnover rate of his career, although he only played sparingly. He could start for a year or two, while the staff helps develop his successor for the post-Pete Carroll era. The upside would be if he plays well enough, that he could be a long-term answer in the silver and black.
With a pairing of Kelly and Carroll, Fields would be in a best-case scenario to resurrect his career. Players should be flocking to Las Vegas to work with them and Fields fits the Russell Wilson/Vick/Kaepernick model that both coaches have tutored.
Darnold may be a one-hit wonder and he'll likely demand top dollar. Kelly is no Kevin O'Connell, but maybe Darnold has found his calling much like Baker Mayfield did in Tampa Bay. Neither would surpass Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert or the rising Bo Nix, but could reasonably keep them in the playoff race.
2. Draft a Rookie
The 2025 class is not a generational one. There's not one guy that stands out above the rest. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders might be gone by the sixth pick. Then there's Jaxson Dart, who is rapidly moving up draft boards. Dart had two touchdown drives, but fumbled when the ball was stripped from his hands on another drive. As time moves on towards April, we'll see how the organization feels about these three potential top 10 picks.
Dillon Gabriel could be a solution in the mid-rounds because he has some Russell Wilson traits, but he is nowhere ready to contribute as a starter in the big leagues. Kyle McCord is another intriguing name to ponder. He could play a role like Nick Foles or Sam Bradford did in Philadelphia.
Jalen Milroe is an elite running back, but he doesn't look like an NFL-caliber quarterback yet. Kelly may get in Carroll's ear about national champion Will Howard too.
3. Trade for a veteran like Matthew
There's been talk about an established flamethrower like Matthew Stafford being available via trade. Kyler Murray also gets discussed every now and then. J.J. McCarthy's name was even been brought up, but Minnesota seems confident that they are going to choose him over Sam Darnold. Had the Raiders hired Ben Johnson, then you have to wonder if they would have called Detroit about the whereabouts of Hendon Hooker in the Lions hierarchy.
Kirk Cousins is probably going to get cut, but does he have anything left in the tank? He would be an ideal bridge quarterback for someone, but only if he reverts back to his Minnesota days. You have to have a better backup plan in place behind him and that will be a difficult process. The price to make a deal with an NFC club shouldn't be as hefty as it could be with an AFC team.
As frustrating as it may sound the most rational decision might be to stick with Aidan O'Connell and see what Carroll surrounds him with. Luckily the franchise is in a prime position to do that. They can nab a starting running back because the draft is filled with them. Carroll knows how to land a receiver, he had a plethora of them in Seattle and D.K. Metcalf is apparently already on the block.