The No. 1 question facing the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason is who will be the starting quarterback for the 2025 campaign?
Last season, the Raiders signed Gardner Minshew to a two-year deal, but he will likely be cut by June. While that leaves QBs Aidan O’Connell and Carter Bradley on the roster, Las Vegas can sign an unrestricted free agent who makes sense to them and possibly select a QB in the 2025 NFL Draft. General manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll have a lot of decisions to make.
Raiders beat writer Vinny Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal fielded questions from readers and believes the team can sign Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback after a breakout season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024.
“Given how healthy they are from a salary cap and cash standpoint, if the Raiders want Darnold as their quarterback in 2025, they can make it happen. They are in the best financial position to sign him among teams that need a quarterback. It boils down to how they feel about him, and what they believe their chances are of drafting their top-ranked quarterback prospect,” Bonsignore wrote.
Las Vegas is in good shape to sign Darnold or any other free-agent quarterback they choose. The Raiders have $99.5 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.
Darnold had a big season under Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell when he passed for a career-high 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns. O’Connell’s play-action, screens, outside-zone run plays and end-arounds helped the former USC quarterback. Las Vegas offensive coordinator Chip Kelly runs similar schemes, allowing Darnold to flourish again.
It remains to be seen who the Raiders will sign when free agency begins. Veterans like Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields will also be available. Still, some insiders believe Darnold will sign with Las Vegas.
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