The Las Vegas Raiders find themselves in the NFL quarterback carousel for the third consecutive offseason after failing to have success with the likes of Jimmy Garoppolo, Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. With a new regime taking over the Raiders organization, NFL rumors are already swirling about the next big move.
Under minority owner Tom Brady, who holds significant influence over football operations, Las Vegas struck out three times in its coaching search before landing Pete Carroll. However, the club did receive strong reviews for its hiring of general manager John Spytek and for paying out a massive salary to land Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator for the foreseeable future.
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Up next on the Raiders’ offseason agenda is finding a starting quarterback for the 2025 season. The pre-draft process has given Las Vegas a chance to evaluate some of the top quarterback prospects and an even better opportunity looms at the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February. However, amid a myriad of NFL rumors pointing to the team potentially trading up for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, recent buzz points in another direction.
Yahoo Sports senior NFL reporter Charles Robinson touched on the Raiders’ quarterback search during Friday’s Inside Coverage podcast, disclosing that the team has been tied heavily to veteran quarterbacks. More specifically, Sam Darnold is emerging as a viable option.
“The Raiders, right now, Sam Darnold. If once Matt Stafford clears out of the trade market, free agency, whatever it ends up being if he’s not with the Rams, the next guy up is Sam Darnold. You hear, when you di work, Sam Darnold a very real option on the Raiders’ horizon.”
Yahoo Sports’ NFL reporter Charles Robinson on Sam Darnold and the Las Vegas Raiders
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Darnold is not expected to receive the franchise tag from the Minnesota Vikings, with the team likely allowing him to test the open market to see what’s out there. While the Pro Bowl quarterback could be brought back if the price is right, Robinson does think right now that he will land in Las Vegas on a potentially lucrative multi-year contract.
“I think it might be Darnold, I really do…I think the scenario to me that’s really intriging about Darnold is…let’s say it’s a four-year deal, I’m projecting here. Let’s say it’s a four-year deal…let’s say it’s 45 (average annual value). So it’s a four-year deal, $180 million. So he’s making $45 million annual average value. Let’s say he’s getting two years of guaranteed salary, which is what I expect. So really it’s a two-year deal, two years $90 million. All of a sudden at the No. 6 pick, maybe you take Ashton Jeanty.”
Charles Robinson on who might be the Las Vegas Raiders starting QB in 2025, potential Sam Darnold contract
The $45 million average annual value would make Darnold the 12th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL over the next two seasons. However, similar to the Daniel Jones contract, Las Vegas could get out of the deal after two seasons without sacrificing significant cap space beyond 2026.
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It could then put the team in a position where it could draft Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick, giving Darnold a high-end starter behind him. In a Raiders offensive designed by Chip Kelly with tight end Brock Bowers as his top pass-catcher, it could conceivably be an opportunity for Darnold to both play well and be paid well without Las Vegas having to make a serious long-term commitment.