Insider names Raiders' potential last resort at quarterback

The Raiders have only one QB under contract, Chase Garbers. Could Baker Mayfield be in Las Vegas' future?

NBC Sports' Mike Florio explained that Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels liked Mayfield when he scouted him before the 2018 NFL Draft, but Cleveland selected Mayfield with the No.1 pick. 

"There's one more name to watch. Just before the 2018 draft, McDaniels held a hush-hush workout with Baker Mayfield. The Patriots liked him; they just weren't in a position to get him," wrote Florio. 

McDaniels can now get him because he's an inexpensive free agent whose market value is a two-year deal worth $6.5M annually, per Spotrac. 

Signing Mayfield would be controversial due to his brash personality and football journey defined by peaks and valleys. 

The 2017 Heisman winner looked like a solid starting QB during his first three seasons. He broke the rookie passing TD record in 2018, leading Cleveland to a playoff victory in 2020, its first in over 25 years.

His last two seasons were dreadful, however. He has an 8-16 starting record, and his 2022 QBR (24.5) ranked last in the NFL.

Yet he flashed the talent that made him a former No.1 pick. McDaniels had a front-row seat when he erased a 16-3, fourth-quarter deficit in a Week 14 loss to the Rams. Additionally, his passer rating jumped from 74.4 in seven games with Carolina to 86.4 in five games with Los Angeles.