The Las Vegas Raiders need a quarterback next season more than anything as the duo of Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew did not cut in the AFC West in 2024. Unfortunately, the team is not on the clock until pick No. 6 in the 2025 NFL Draft, which means both elite quarterbacks in the draft may already be gone.
While building a winning team through the draft is conventional wisdom, other ways exist to acquire top talent and turn your franchise around. Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated made one bold prediction for each NFL team heading into the offseason, and he believes that the Raiders will pay free agent quarterback Sam Darnold $120 million.
There are a handful of solid quarterback options set to be available in the middle rounds of the draft, but Orr feels that Las Vegas will use some of their projected $95 million in cap space on a free agent quarterback. Darnold had a resurgence under Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota last season and Orr believes he can recreate that with the Raiders' new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.
"The Raiders will sign Sam Darnold for three years and $120 million and begin the season 3–0 as the fervor over offensive coordinator Chip Kelly gains a massive groundswell. I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I do, too," wrote Orr. "But once while covering the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, I was driven, for what seemed like hours, to this small sushi restaurant that looked more like a wooden A-frame house, and Pete Carroll was sitting on the floor of the front porch. From there on out, I understood the possibilities of his immaculate vibes. I’m not going to start doubting it now."
Las Vegas has not drafted a quarterback in the first round since 2007 when they selected JaMarcus Russell from LSU with the first overall pick. Russell is widely considered to be the biggest bust in NFL history, and the selection has deterred the franchise from drafting a young signal-caller for nearly two decades.
