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    Raiders Predicted To Land 6′3″, 35-TD Star QB in Free Agency To Jumpstart Tom Brady-Pete Carroll Era

    The Raiders could bring in a breakout quarterback via free agency to help jumpstart the Pete Carroll era in Las Vegas.

    The Las Vegas Raiders didn’t bring in the established Pete Carroll to coach an extensive rebuild and continue tanking for years to come. Instead, Carroll is expected to build a strong culture and win games now in hopes of quieting the complaints and hatred directed toward the organization.

    It will be tough to do so with a quarterback room of Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell, leaving the Raiders with a few options. Las Vegas can potentially use the No. 6 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the trade market, or free agency to address their void at quarterback.

    If the front office opts for the latter, a 6’3″, 35-touchdown quarterback is searching for a payday after the best season of his rollercoaster career.

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    Raiders Predicted To Sign QB Sam Darnold

    Despite crumbling in the final games of the year with the Minnesota Vikings, Sam Darnold proved he has the tools to be a starting quarterback.

    This is why NFL analyst Matt Bowen of ESPN named the Raiders as the best landing spot for Darnold, predicting he will help jumpstart the Carroll era in Las Vegas.

    “With the transition to coach Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Raiders could finally solve their QB issue in free agency by signing Darnold,” Bowen wrote.

    “Las Vegas was 30th in QBR in 2024 (40.4), and Darnold’s 4,319 passing yards and 35 touchdown throws for the Vikings both ranked fifth in the league. And in Vegas, Kelly could scheme for Darnold’s arm talent, while also using his mobility to attack the edges.”

    MORE: Simulate the NFL Offseason With PFSN’s Offseason Manager

    ESPN slotted Darnold as their No. 6 free agent, while PFSN ranked the Vikings QB at No. 10.

    “Two bad performances under the bright lights of what was essentially two playoff games are going to have a major impact on how Darnold is viewed this offseason, especially with fans and media outside of those who regularly saw him play,” PFSN’s Ben Rolfe wrote. “That is somewhat unfair on a quarterback who was ranked 12th overall in QB+ in the regular season.”

    It’s clear he is the consensus top quarterback available this summer.

    The Raiders’ offense was deemed one of the worst in the NFL by PFSN, according to its Offense+ metric, and arguably the only reason they weren’t No. 32 is because of tight end Brock Bowers. Although Bowers seemingly broke every TE rookie record in the books, Darnold, PFSN’s No. 12 QB, would still see a downgrade in terms of his weapons.

    Signing with Las Vegas would give Darnold a real shot to prove himself as a franchise QB and could do so under the coaching of Carroll and the ownership of Tom Brady.

    Tom Brady Will Play Crucial Role In Finding Next QB

    One thing is certain: Brady will be very involved when it comes to finding the Raiders’ next quarterback. Carroll made this clear during his introductory press conference.

    “It’s our mission to build our team around the QB position… it isn’t the only spot. We happen to have the greatest of all time to help us, and we are gonna lean on Tom as much as we can for his insights because nobody has the insights that he has — he is that unique.

    “But the QB position is one of the [most important] positions of the team and we got to make it fit all together well. You know, I have pretty good success with my QBs in the past, you can go all the way back to my college days and they have all turned out to be really extraordinary members of our club.

    “There’s a way to embrace the challenge the QB has for the rest of the football team as well. We need to support our guy, and we need to do what we can to make that work. It’s really about making a great football team around the QB position. Coach [Bill] Walsh taught me a long time ago that it’s the hardest position in professional sports to play, and we need to make it as easy for them as possible.

    “We do that by running the football, protecting them, taking care of the ball, [playing] great defense, kicking the ball when we want to kick it, and so there’s a lot that goes into it. But just think about how fortunate we are to have Tom Brady — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

    These days, Brady is essentially running the Raiders, so it’s no surprise that he would also have plenty of say in who will be under center for Las Vegas next season.

    During a recent episode of “The Ryen Russillo Podcast,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini revealed just how much Brady calls the shots behind the scenes in Las Vegas.

    “Let’s just start with making it really clear that Tom Brady is running everything in Vegas. It’s all Tom Brady,” Russini said. “I’m telling you, it’s all Tom Brady there. I mean, even his own TB12 programs are being installed, so to speak.”

    Brady’s fingerprints are all over every major decision within the franchise, from personnel moves to the decision to hire Carroll to training regimens, so he’s much more involved than your typical minority owner.

    Now, it’ll be interesting to see who Brady targets as the Raiders’ next signal-caller.

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