The Las Vegas Raiders’ biggest priority for next season is finding a quarterback, as the combination of Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew proved ineffective in the AFC West in 2024. However, with the team not picking until No. 6 in the 2025 NFL Draft, both of the top quarterback prospects may already be off the board. While the draft is traditionally the best way to build a contender, there are alternative routes to acquiring top-tier talent.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated made a bold prediction for each NFL team this offseason and speculated that the Raiders will sign free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $120 million deal. Las Vegas is projected to have around $95 million in cap space, and while mid-round quarterback prospects could be available in the draft, Orr believes the team will invest in a veteran instead. Darnold revitalized his career under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota last season, and Orr thinks he could thrive under the Raiders’ new offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly.
“The Raiders will sign Sam Darnold for three years and $120 million and start the season 3–0 as excitement builds around Chip Kelly’s offense,” Orr wrote. “I’m sure you have a lot of questions. I do, too. But years ago, while covering the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, I was driven for what felt like hours to a tiny sushi restaurant that resembled a wooden A-frame house. Pete Carroll was sitting on the front porch, and from that moment, I understood the magic of his vibes. I’m not about to start doubting it now.”
The Raiders haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since selecting JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 overall pick in 2007. Russell is widely regarded as one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history, and that disastrous pick has seemingly made the franchise hesitant to invest early in a young signal-caller for nearly two decades.