After missing out on Matthew Stafford, the Raiders will shift their focus at quarterback and a report from the NFL Combine this week suggested head coach Pete Carroll wants to find a way to bring Sam Darnold to Vegas.
“After losing out on Matthew Stafford, what will the Las Vegas Raiders do next? There are still persistent rumors they may try to trade up for a quarterback in the draft. People close to Sam Darnold tell me that Raiders coach Pete Carroll will work to make a move to acquire the quarterback from the Vikings,” league insider Tony Pauline reported on Saturday.
Pauline added that the Vikings may use the franchise tag on Darnold before trading him, and that may be a scenario the Raiders like because they would get the veteran quarterback on a one-year deal.
It’s doubtful the Darnold would be interested in a one-year from the Raiders if he made it to free agency.
Whether the Raiders end up with Darnold or not, they will be looking for a quarterback in the draft and flagship radio host Q Myers suggested the Raiders should do whatever it takes to get Shedeur Sanders if they like him.
“As much as Stafford would have been a good quarterback for the short term, it’s really a sigh of relief [to not get him] as far as I’m concerned,” Myers said on Raider Nation Radio’s Unnecessary Roughness on Friday.
“Sigh of relief that is not putting their eggs in the Matt Stafford basket and expecting to be able to build a chicken farm, right? I mean, it just felt like, okay, he was going to go save the world, but to me, it never felt like he was going to save the organization. They still were going to need a face of the franchise,” Myers continued.
“So I’m way good with whatever it takes. You were going to give up draft capital to go get Matt Stafford. I’m good with whatever it takes to go get Shedeur Sanders. I’ll tell you that right there. Whatever it takes, you’re at six right now. If you feel like you got to go up higher to get him, then so be it.”
Sanders has become the most polarizing player in the 2025 draft and seems to have dropped well behind Cam Ward as the top quarterback prospect in the draft.
Several reports have projected Sanders to be a prospect closer to the tier occupied by Jaxson Dart than the aforementioned Ward, who is a good bet to be the no. 1 pick in the draft.
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur shared on Friday what appears to be the biggest concerns around Sanders moving into the draft.
“Two of the things I heard the most this week are teams are worried about Shedeur Sanders’ baggage and were really impressed with Jalen Milroe’s interviews,” Tafur tweeted before adding that Shedeur’s “entourage, money he already has, [and] his dad potentially being a loud factor” were factors teams are considering.
For what it’s worth, Sanders spoke with members of the media in Indianapolis this week and said he embraces the “haters” around his career, adding that they have always been there on account of his family name.
x: @raidersbeat
TOO MUCH GLITZ AND DRAMA = NO WAY IN HELL
The “Q” seems to be losing what is left of his little mind… Trade up from #6 using Valuable and Needed resources for a QB who at best is a Low 2nd round talent and more likely a 3rd round talent. A kid who did not progress in his final year. Very little pocket awareness while holding the ball too long while retreating backward instead of stepping up into the Pocket. A Kid who is Very Inconsistent at the deep ball and his late throws have converted into a significant number of turnovers. And that is against Defensive speed far less than the Speed of the NFL defenses. He is slow… unable to escape defensive pursuers. This is coupled with Very Average Arm Strength. There have also been character concerns throughout his collegiate career and has ONLY been coached by a Single Coach – his Over Protective father. Prime!! This is a HUGE downside. The writers who are pushing for Sanders at #1 should actually take a bit of time to become educated on the reports on this kid… Shameful
I would rather they took Jeanty at 6, and Will Howard later, or even Milroe. Sanders may not be ready to start, and they have got to be able to run the ball this year.
All I can say is if the Raiders like Dart or any of those other guys take them at 6 it’s better to get who you want than to wait too long, and somebody else snags them!
We both want the Raiders to improve. But if they can’t run the ball, any quarterback is going to get crushed, especially a rookie. I say Jeanty at 6, and either Dart, Howard, or Millroe in the second.
How you going to run the ball with no oline?
Address the core, build the line. Pick good football players, that’s what Pete said he was going to do. Trading off draft picks for one unproven kid, does not make sense. thom madro is spot on, heard more than one scout say it too. If this Jackson State/Colorado QB wasn’t Prime’s kid he wouldn’t even be considered. Q is using his platform for his own agenda. If we trade up to #1, it better be for Cam Ward, and I’m not sure he’s worth it.