The Las Vegas Raiders have employed one of the worst offenses in football during the 2025 NFL season. The play of Geno Smith, especially, has been a major letdown after the organization acquired him this offseason to bring stability to the quarterback position.
To make matters worse, the team does not currently have a quarterback of the future on the roster. While Kenny Pickett and Aidan O'Connell are both still relatively young at 27 years old, neither player has shown much to inspire confidence that they are anything more than career backups.
Las Vegas likely has its eyes set on landing a signal-caller in the 2026 NFL Draft; however, there is no guarantee that they will be in a position to draft one. Instead, the Raiders could turn their attention to a reclamation project that also has not shown much, but is young enough to turn his career around.
Raiders linked to young quarterback who has fallen out of favor with his current team
With the trade deadline looming on November 4, Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker mentioned several trade candidates and some logical landing spots for them. He listed Las Vegas as a possible destination for Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Anthony Richardson.
"When the Colts signed Daniel Jones this offseason, they figured it would bring the best out of Richardson. Instead, Richardson’s stock sank while Jones’ skyrocketed. The former fourth overall pick has played just 14 snaps this season as Jones’ backup, with the former Giants starter starring with an 81.0 overall PFF grade," Locker wrote. "It’s possible that the Colts could want to keep Richardson on their roster, either as insurance for this season or in case they can’t retain Jones this offseason. Still, teams with quarterback questions come March and April could try to get ahead of the curve, stashing Richardson and his potential several months earlier."
Richardson has done little to prove himself in the NFL, as he has been subpar and injury-prone through three seasons. He has appeared in 17 games, starting 15, and thrown for 2,400 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing just 50.6% of his passes. He has also added 634 rushing yards and ten touchdowns on 115 carries.
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The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft landed on injured reserve earlier this month after suffering an orbital fracture during pregame warmups in Week 6. While he will remain sidelined through the trade deadline, it is possible that a team could look to acquire him for his potential.
Richardson would represent a buy-low option that could turn into a potential steal for the Raiders if he is able to turn things around and capitalize on his massive upside. Plus, several reports indicated that then-Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was a fan of Richardson's during the 2023 draft process.
While he hasn't shown the ability to be a starting-caliber player yet, he is still just 23 years old, which is younger than many collegiate quarterbacks. The Raiders could look to swing a deal with the hopes that he will be the franchise's latest successful reclamation project.