The Las Vegas Raiders will be looking to pair new head coach Pete Carroll with a quarterback this offseason, and the Minnesota Vikings currently have a surplus at the position.
While fans can dream about a blockbuster trade for J.J. McCarthy, the odds of that happening are slim to none. With a coaching staff capable of getting the most out of a veteran QB, the most logical path forward for the Raiders would be to target a solution in free agency this March.
Nick Brinkerhoff of USA TODAY predicts the Raiders will sign the Vikings’ other quarterback — reigning NFC Pro Bowler Sam Darnold — to replace their current untenable situation with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. Here was Brinkerhoff’s take on the potential fit.
The Raiders have been a team without a concrete plan at quarterback, but that figures to change now under the new regime led by Carroll and minority owner Tom Brady. Adding a bonafide starter in free agency, and doubling down in the 2025 draft this April, would be a good place to start.
Darnold is expected to get paid handsomely after passing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in 2024. Spotrac projects his next contract to approach $40 million per season, in the Daniel Jones range of four years and $160 million.
The problem with committing that much money to Darnold? He could struggle without the support of Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell and star talent like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones. The Raiders are extremely thin at the skill positions outside of superstar TE Brock Bowers and receiver Jakobi Meyers, so inking Darnold would only be one piece of the puzzle. The Raiders would have to commit to putting a team around him.
Darnold does feel most likely to leave Minnesota this March, especially if he’s fetching anything close to the numbers that Spotrac is projecting. The Vikings have their next guy in McCarthy, and the Raiders could be on their way to doing the same by adding a veteran like Darnold as a short-term solution.