Does QB Sam Darnold make sense for Raiders?

Las Vegas Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek have plenty of work to do on the roster, but quarterback should be their top priority.

On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter suggested the Raiders are likely to take a look at Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold, a 27-year-old pending free agent. In 2024 at QB, the Raiders started Aidan O'Connell, a second-year player, and journeyman Gardner Minshew, who signed a two-year deal last offseason. Neither distinguished himself.

"The Vikings have said that they'd like to bring him back," Schefter said of Darnold, "but that is not going to be cheap. The franchise tag remains an option, and one team that I would watch with Sam Darnold moving forward would be the Las Vegas Raiders. I think at some point in time they're likely to have some interest in trying to bring Sam Darnold to Las Vegas."

Darnold had a career season with the Vikings, throwing for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns in 17 games . With the New York Jets in his first three seasons in the NFL, he threw for 8,097 yards and 45 touchdowns (and 39 interceptions). After leaving the Jets, he played for the Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers.

A change of scenery and working under head coach Kevin O'Connell, a former NFL QB, helped Darnold this past season. Could he mesh with new Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, who, like O'Connell, is an innovative offensive mind?

The Raiders must carefully assess whether Darnold is a fit. Other QBs, including Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, could be options. Per Schefter, the Jets will move on without Rodgers, and Fields and Wilson are pending free agents. They played for the Steelers in 2024.

Darnold, who made $10M with the Vikings in 2024, per Spotrac, will command a lot of money after his career season.

Per Over The Cap, the Raiders have a little more than $92M in salary-cap space, the second most among teams, but Las Vegas has significant other needs.