After several years of uncertainty at the quarterback position, the Las Vegas Raiders acquired a surefire starter this offseason with the addition of veteran Geno Smith. However, given that Smith is already 34 years old, the team still needs a long-term solution under center.
General manager John Spytek was patient in acquiring a young signal-caller in the 2025 NFL Draft, waiting until the sixth round to do so. Perhaps that is because minority owner Tom Brady, who forged a legendary career after being a late Day 3 pick, has been a big voice in the Raiders' decision-making.
“When we are looking at quarterbacks, we’d have to be fools not to involve him,” Spytek said to The Athletic's Dan Pompei. “Tom is the foremost expert on quarterback play I’ve ever been around.”
Raiders rookie QB got ultimate stamp of approval before NFL Draft
So when it came time for the Silver and Black to finally select a young quarterback in the draft, they settled on a player that Brady liked: North Dakota State's Cam Miller.
“He liked the way he threw it, his technique, throwing from the ground up and his motion,” Spytek said to Pompei. “And he thought he had the potential to improve.”
Brady was fully on board with selecting Miller with the No. 215 pick in the sixth round, just a few spots away from where he was picked 25 years ago. A legendary player signing off on a late-round pick should not only give Miller confidence, but it should inspire all of Raider Nation.
Related: Raiders burn Quinn Ewers with shocking QB selection on Day 3
During his senior season for the Bison, Miller threw for 3,251 yards and 33 touchdowns while only tossing away four interceptions. He also added an impressive 631 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground, which makes him the biggest dual-threat option the Raiders have had in recent memory.
Miller will have to beat out Aidan O'Connell for the backup role, but given his track record of winning, he should have no real problems doing so. O'Connell was drafted several regimes ago and has already shown what he can do for the Silver and Black, whereas Miller is an unknown, exciting commodity.
It may be several years until Miller is ready to be a starting NFL quarterback, but he faced a similar challenge in college. He should be suiting up for the Raiders with plenty of confidence and nothing to lose, just like a sixth-round pick did in New England years ago. Only for Miller, he'll have that legendary quarterback in his corner.