The Raiders have needs across their roster as they embark on their first offseason under coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek.
The most notable one is at quarterback.
The team needs an upgrade if it wants to improve on its 4-13 record from last season. Carroll and Spytek will get a chance to assess their options in the draft when they head to the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis next week. There are also several potential targets in free agency the Raiders may have their eye on.
Here is a look at where things currently stand for the team at the position and what they could do to improve before the 2025 season kicks off:
Under contract
Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, Carter Bradley
Pending free agents
Desmond Ridder
2024 recap
The Raiders, simply put, did not get an acceptable level of quarterback play last year.
Minshew beat O’Connell out for the starting job in training camp after signing a two-year, $25 million contract in free agency. His grip on the position was loose, to say the least. There was minimal confidence within the organization that either he or O’Connell could hold onto it for 17 games.
That proved to be the case.
A turnover-prone Minshew played his way to the bench after just five games. O’Connell started the next two games but fractured his thumb, sending Minshew back under center.
The quarterback carousel continued all season, as neither Minshew or O’Connell distinguished themselves. Minshew threw nine touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in 10 games and his 38.1 QBR ranked 31st in the league.
O’Connell wasn’t much better. He threw eight touchdowns and four interceptions in nine games and his 49.4 QBR would have been 25th-best in the NFL if he threw enough passes to qualify.
Ridder was signed after O’Connell’s thumb injury, but failed to impress.
Level of need: Extremely high
At this point, it would be a shock if Minshew remains on the roster. The Raiders can save $6.34 million in cap space by releasing him, according to the website Over the Cap.
Reinforcements should be coming. There’s even a chance the Raiders add two new quarterbacks this offseason through free agency and the draft.
O’Connell, who seems better suited to be a backup, could return in that role. Bradley’s future may be determined by how things shake out this offseason.
Just don’t expect the Raiders to stick to the status quo. This is one area Carroll, Spytek and new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly can make their mark on next year’s team.
How can they address things?
Spytek indicated the Raiders will leave no stone unturned in their search for a new quarterback.
In a perfect world, that likely means signing or trading for a veteran that can serve as a stabilizing force and then drafting a prospect they can groom into a long-term answer at the position.
The Raiders have been linked to pending free agent Sam Darnold, who shined with the Vikings last year after struggling his first six years in the NFL. The 27-year-old, who went third overall in the 2018 draft, would be the top quarterback on the market if he gets there.
Other free-agent possibilities include Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields and Kirk Cousins, assuming the Falcons release him. There is also Russell Wilson, who won Super Bowl 48 with Carroll and the Seahawks, but the two had a messy breakup in Seattle.
Matthew Stafford (Rams), Kyler Murray (Cardinals) and Geno Smith (Seahawks), who Carroll elevated to the starting role after trading Wilson to Denver, are among the quarterbacks that could be available via trade this offseason.
This draft class is considered weak at quarterback, but Shedeur Sanders of Colorado and Cam Ward of Miami (Florida) may be options if they fall to the Raiders’ pick at sixth overall.
Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Will Howard (Ohio State), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Tyler Shough (Louisville) are expected to be picked in the second round or later. Howard led the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff national championship in January with Kelly as his offensive coordinator.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at [email protected]. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
