The Las Vegas Raiders need a quarterback, but the 2025 class is lackluster. They do have $95 million in cap space, more than enough to afford a free agent.
The free agent tied to the Raiders the most is Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold. Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr recently predicted that the Raiders and Darnold would link up in the offseason.
"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," wrote Orr. "I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I do, too. 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."
Whether "immaculate vibes" is enough to make continue Darnold's resurgence and lead the Raiders to that kind of start is up in the air at this point, but things do look very bright in the desert.
By hiring Carroll, a bona fide culture builder and quarterback whisperer, the Raiders set themselves up for success with the best possible coaching outcome. No one is learning how to coach in Las Vegas -- FS1's Colin Cowherd referred to it as having an "adult" in the building.
Carroll's energy is not lacking at his advanced age, and it is tough to bet against his proven record.
"Yeah, the lessons that are really clear is that we have a philosophy and a way to do things, things we believe in, and the sooner we can get everybody understanding it and being on board with it, the sooner we'll move ahead and move forward," Carroll said at his introductory press conference. "I'm not talking about just the football team. I'm talking about the people that are in the organization. I'm talking about the people that support us. Everybody that has an inkling that they want to see what they're all about. We're teaching, and we're reaching out to them. I think it takes everybody to make us as good as we can possibly be. It's that process that we'll go through that we've done before. It's an exciting, challenging kind of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity again. So we're going to take it on with a great energy about it."
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