The Las Vegas Raiders finally won a game in Week 16 but lost in the long run as they dropped from No. 1 to No. 6 in the 2025 NFL Draft, per Tankathon. The team has another favorable matchup in Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints. If they win, they'll fall even further down the draft board.
Regardless of where they pick, the Raiders need to address their quarterback need in some capacity. However, they may need to start thinking about their free-agent options. Sam Darnold has completely resurrected his career with the Minnesota Vikings and is earning himself a massive payday in free agency.
He's thrown 32 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and has led the Vikings to a 13-2 record. There's a good chance Minnesota will delay JJ McCarthy's ascension and keep Darnold around. For him, that would be the best situation as Kevin O'Connell clearly knows how to push the right buttons.
That said, money talks, and the Raiders have a lot of money to spend. At this point, it is starting to seem like this breakout Darnold season isn't a fluke. He's had some really terrible coaching early in his career but was always talented. Now that he's in a good situation, he's showing what he can do.
Plus, he's only 27 so he's got plenty of tread left on the tires. If the Raiders can't get a quarterback this year, Darnold could make some sense but they really need to make sure they have a good offensive coaching staff in place.
It's difficult to see why this situation would be appealing to Darnold outside of money. There are other quarterback-needy teams that are way further ahead than the Raiders. A team like the Indianapolis Colts or Pittsburgh Steelers could be much better landing spots for Darnold if he leaves Minnesota.
While he would be an upgrade over what the Raiders have, Darnold probably would prefer to avoid going to another dysfunctional franchise.