The Las Vegas Raiders made, arguably, the biggest upgrade at the quarterback position this offseason as they traded for Geno Smith. Since re-emerging as a starter in 2022, he ranks fourth in passing yards and completion percentage and eighth in passing touchdowns.
That marks a vast improvement for a Raiders team that has the tenth-fewest passing touchdowns, tenth-lowest completion percentage and 12th-fewest passing yards over the past two seasons. While Smith represents a massive upgrade in the short term, he is already 35 years old.
Sooner or later, Las Vegas will have to start thinking about finding its quarterback of the future. While they have third-year player Aidan O'Connell and rookie sixth-rounder Cam Miller on the roster, neither player has shown yet that they will be able to take over the mantle when Smith retires.
Raiders named dream destination for Colts QB Anthony Richardson
Following the news that the Indianapolis Colts named Daniel Jones their starting quarterback, there has been plenty of speculation that Anthony Richardson could be on the move. A recent report listed the Raiders as a dream landing spot for the former fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"In Las Vegas, Richardson would get a chance to learn under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who is creative enough to highlight Richardson's strengths. He'd also get to work under head coach Pete Carroll, who has an encouraging history with dual-threat quarterbacks—it was under Carroll's guidance that Russell Wilson put together a Hall of Fame resume with the Seattle Seahawks," wrote Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox. "Oh, and did you know that Tom Brady is a Raiders minority owner? Plus, the Raiders' supporting cast has become a sneaky-good one over the past couple of offseasons. The Raiders might lack an elite receiver, but they have a good one in Jakobi Meyers, an elite tight end in Brock Bowers and a very promising running back in rookie Ashton Jeanty."
Richardson's agent made it clear that they are not happy with the way the Colts have handled the young quarterback. He has made just 15 starts in his NFL career, in part due to injury, but was beaten out for the starting job heading into his third season.
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While the Raiders have the need for a young quarterback, Richardson should not be the player they target. In those 15 career games, he has thrown for 2,391 yards, 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions while completing an abysmal 50.6% of his pass attempts.
He has thrived in the running game, adding 635 yards and ten touchdowns on 111 carries. However, that is not enough to prove that he is an NFL-caliber quarterback when factoring in his passing struggles.
There have been some suggestions that he could play a role similar to the one Marcus Mariota played for Las Vegas in 2021. But it appears the Colts' asking price may be too steep at this point in time for the Raiders to make a worthwhile move.
Indianapolis has suggested that they are not giving up on Richardson, which could simply be an attempt to restore some trade value. Considering what he has shown in his brief career, however, giving up anything more than a sixth- or seventh-round pick with the hopes of fixing Richardson would be bad business, and the Raiders should avoid that at all costs.