Raiders HC vouches for securing a younger QB in recent comments
Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels revealed what he and the organization are expecting at the quarterback position this offseason.
All Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels is looking for at the quarterback position is stability.
After the organization parted ways with Derek Carr, allowing the long-time starter to fall on the sword that was a 6-11 season, the Raiders have shifted the focus to finding a starting replacement.
And for all the rumors swelling about who the Raiders will employ at the most important position in football, McDaniels revealed Tuesday that Las Vegas is looking for someone who will be the long-term starter, not merely another veteran or one-year rental at the position — think Aaron Rodgers or someone similar.
"There is always urgency at that position," McDaniels said. "The goal for us, eventually, is to have someone that is going to be here for a long time. You see the teams that are having success in our league, in our conference, and, specifically, in our division, they are young players that were drafted by their clubs and they're being developed there under the same continuity.
"We are going to do everything we can do to evaluate every player at that position both in the draft and in free agency. There are certainly a number of players that are going to be added at that position. But the goal is to try and have a young player here that is going to be a Raider for a long time."
Don't blink, it looks like the Raiders might actually be trying to play things smart. Often, when teams are trying to compete, they buy into overpaying for an older quarterback who only gives them marginal production.
If the Raiders did so, the organization would simply be creating the same situation it was in during the 2022 NFL season with Carr.
Yes, Rodgers sounds good on paper. However, he is older. And his presence would only be a band-aid solution to a deeper problem. The Raiders need to find a difference-maker at the quarterback position on a rookie-scale contract. That appears to be the best formula to create a winning roster.
See the Philadelphia Eagles are primary proof.
An inexpensive, but good, quarterback can only be found in the draft. And judging by McDaniels' comments, the Raiders may look to use their top-1o pick to add a young signal-caller to the quarterback room.
Say the Raiders swing for the fences on Anthony Richardson and it works out, the organization would have its franchise quarterback with more good years ahead of him than behind him.
That is the way to build a consistent contender: Hitting on a quarterback that accelerates the team-building process while he is still on a rookie-scale contract.
So, what McDaniels said should make Raiders fans cautiously optimistic that the franchise will stop taking shortcuts on its path to Super Bowl contention.
Feature image via Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
