After firing general manager Tom Telesco on Thursday — just two days after firing head coach Antonio Pierce — the Las Vegas Raiders are hitting the reset button on the entire franchise.
The team won just four games this season, started three different quarterbacks, three different running backs, traded star receiver Davante Adams, and drafted star tight end Brock Bowers, who had a record-setting rookie season.
With minority owner Tom Brady reportedly very involved with the Raiders head coach and GM search, and with a big say in who the team’s next quarterback will be, it’s safe to expect Vegas to start swinging for the fences in all three areas.
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti believes the Raiders will turn to the Minnesota Vikings to solve their QB problem, as he recently predicted Vegas will make a lucrative trade offer to the Vikings for 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.
“Minnesota will be a must-follow franchise for the next few months as they navigate one of the best problems in all of sports: too many quarterbacks at their disposal,” Ginnitti wrote. “Darnold is a pending free agent, so the decision to keep him will prove expensive. But losing him could prove even more costly.
“Prediction: The Vikings apply a $39M+ franchise tag on Sam Darnold, then trade J.J. McCarthy to the Las Vegas Raiders days before the NFL Draft. Darnold and the Vikings agree on a 4-year, $196M extension before the July 15 deadline that includes $110M guaranteed.”
McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in last year’s draft, missed his rookie season after suffering a meniscus tear during the preseason.
But despite him coming off a somewhat serious injury, several draft experts believe if he was in the 2025 draft class, he would be the No. 1-ranked quarterback and be selected before both Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
Minnesota has only three picks in the 2025 draft — a first-rounder and two fifth-rounders — so if Vegas was OK with trading away the No. 6 overall pick plus one or two late-round selections (it owns all of its picks in both 2025 and 2026), the Vikings could be convinced to part with McCarthy and sign Darnold to a long-term extension.
