The Las Vegas Raiders were almost able to jumpstart the franchise in a major way when it looked like they could trade for Matthew Stafford. Unfortunately, he decided to stay with the Los Angeles Rams and the Raiders have to go back to the drawing board.
Having the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft puts them in a position to potentially add a top quarterback prospect but that's no guarantee and this is considered a weak class. That may mean the Raiders have to find their 2025 starter in free agency.
The Athletic's Tashan Reed and Vic Tafur explained why Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold is their top option at quarterback this offseason.
"Darnold completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards (at a 7.9 yards per attempt clip), 35 touchdowns and 12 interceptions," Reed and Tafur wrote. "And he is only 27. So why not throw the checkbook at him? Well, there were those last two games of last season where he looked a little shellshocked — like the New York Jets-era Sam Darnold. And the better argument against him is that Darnold had the best supporting cast imaginable, with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, Aaron Jones and play caller Kevin O’Connell. Those guys coming with him?"
Is Sam Darnold worth the money?
Darnold was very good for 99% of the 2024 season. He led the Vikings to 14 wins while throwing for 35 touchdowns.
The problem is that he saved his worst two games of the season for the two most important. He played very poorly in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions and was just as bad in the Vikings' playoff game against the Rams.
If the Raiders can get Darnold for around $30 million a year, he could be worth a three-year commitment. Anything more than that is too big of a risk for a quarterback who hasn't played well outside of one 16-game stretch in a seven-year career.