The Las Vegas Raiders have a pivotal offseason ahead, as the franchise will hire a new head coach and general manager who will look to rebuild a roster that hasn't made the playoffs since 2021 and posted a 4-13 record in 2024.
One position that needs a complete overhaul in Las Vegas is quarterback. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell served as the team's starters for most of the season, and neither is capable of being average starting signal-callers in the NFL.
The Raiders have had a revolving door at quarterback since the departure of Derek Carr in 2023, and it's clear that the franchise needs some stability at the sport's most vital position.
Though many expected Las Vegas to be in a position to select a signal caller in the 2025 NFL Draft for most of the year, a few late-season wins tanked the Raiders' draft stock. The franchise owns the No.6 overall pick in April's draft and is behind multiple quarterback-needy teams, including the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans.
It's incredibly unlikely the class's top two quarterback prospects, Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, will be on the board when Las Vegas is on the clock in Round 1.
The Raiders may have to go down the veteran quarterback route once again this offseason, and The Wright Way Network's Daniel Alameda predicts Las Vegas will sign New York Jets veteran Aaron Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers is currently under contract with the New York Jets, but with the team getting a new head coach and general manager, there’s a real likelihood that Rodgers could be out the door.
Las Vegas is a team currently looking at a major re-tooling as well, but the key with them is they’re looking to compete NOW. With Tom Brady now having a major hand in the hiring process, Rodgers would be a perfect bridge QB for the next two seasons.
Rodgers is clearly not the same player he once was, but the four-time NFL MVP would be an immediate upgrade over Minshew and O'Connell, and he actually had a solid statistical season despite an underwhelming 5-12 campaign from the Jets.
The 41-year-old completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns, along with 11 interceptions. Rodgers also started all 17 games after suffering a devastating injury just a few plays into the 2023 campaign.
It's widely known that New York wants to move on from Rodgers, and the future Hall of Famer even suggested that he could be released by the team this offseason during an appearance on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Dec.23. Rodgers could also opt to retire in the next few months, as he acknowledged before the Jets' season finale versus the Miami Dolphins that he could be playing in his final game.
Signing Rodgers shouldn't be too challenging for the Raiders if he is indeed released by the Jets and doesn't retire, as the ten-time Pro Bowler's contract demands shouldn't be outlandish, and Las Vegas has plenty of cap space to endure Rodgers' lucrative deal and make other moves to bolster the roster. The franchise is slated to have over $92 million in cap space, per Over the Cap.
Overall, Rodgers is no longer an elite signal caller, but the Super Bowl XLV MVP still has some gas left in the tank and would be a nice bridge quarterback for Las Vegas.
