Breaking: Raiders Set to Sign 26-Year-Old Former No. 3 Pick QB

The Las Vegas Raiders could have a completely new quarterback room in 2024. The team is likely to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer could get let go if he doesn’t retire, which would just leave Aidan O’Connell.

However, even if the Raiders draft a quarterback early, they should have a veteran on the roster. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr believes the team will sign San Francisco 49ers quarterback Sam Darnold.

“The Raiders are going to bring in competition for Aidan O’Connell, and that quarterback’s name is … Sam Darnold,” Orr wrote in a February 12 column. “The former No. 3 pick boosted his signability after a year in the Kyle Shanahan system. Darnold has struggled at times but, similarly, has also displayed an incredibly high ceiling. This is especially true when Darnold is throwing on the move. Luke Getsy majored in a strain of the Shanahan offense during his time in Green Bay with the Packers and was a solid play-caller in Chicago.”

Darnold first came into the NFL as the No. 3 pick of the New York Jets in 2018 but has struggled to play at a high level. He spent the last season on the 49ers but could only get on the field for one start, which he lost.

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Does Sam Darnold Still Have Upside?

Sam Darnold will be entering his seventh season and has never thrown for 20 or more touchdown passes. Out of quarterbacks to play over 20 games since 2021, Darnold has the second-highest interception percentage (2.9%) in the NFL.

He went to the 49ers to work with head coach Kyle Shanahan, who is one of the best coaches at working with quarterbacks in the league. However, he didn’t get a chance to play much in 2023 so it remains to be seen if the coach was able to fix Darnold.

There will likely be a team that wants to give the former USC star a chance. He’s only 26, he’s 6-foot-3 and has a big arm. He has all the traits teams like from quarterbacks. That said, he hasn’t really shown much throughout his career. Raiders rookie Aidan O’Connell had a 2.0% interception percentage in 2023, which is better than Darnold has had any season in his career.

Important to Have a Capable Backup

As the Raiders learned last season, it’s important to have a capable backup quarterback. Luckily for them, Aidan O’Connell was able to play well enough to win games after it was clear Jimmy Garoppolo wasn’t the guy. If the plan is to bring Sam Darnold in as a backup, there are worse options out there.

He’s started in 56 games and is still young enough to have some upside. In fact, he’s only a year younger than O’Connell despite playing in the NFL for five more seasons. The Raiders could certainly do worse than having a quarterback room filled with a rookie, O’Connell and Darnold. That would give the team three quarterbacks with some potential. Antonio Pierce may want a more proven veteran on the roster like Russell Wilson but that also seems unlikely.