The Las Vegas Raiders need a QB, and the Denver Broncos should hope that the Raiders pursue one of these three passers. Vegas recently hired Pete Carroll to be their new head coach, which is a shockingly good move from the incompetent franchise.
The biggest issue with this team is them not having a long-term QB in the building. And with the 2025 NFL Draft not being the best at the position, it's likely that the Raiders bring in someone for the short-term while they figure how who to bring in to be the long-term passer.
I would expect the Raiders to be firmly in the QB market this offseason, and the Broncos should hope that the Raiders come away with one of these three QBs.
3 quarterbacks the Denver Broncos should hope Raiders could sign in 2025
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold played very well in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, and he could land a decent contract in free agency. However, if he were to sign with the Raiders, he would not have nearly the weaponry or coaching he had in Minnesota in 2024.
The Raiders have Brock Bowers and.... who else?
Darnold would have his work cut out for him in Vegas, and while the QB is clearly talented, he would regress back to the mean with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2025 and beyond. Darnold had nearly everything around him in a 'good' spot. That isn't the case in Vegas.
Russell Wilson
The most obvious QB move the Raiders could make is reuniting Carroll with Russell Wilson, who are apparently on better terms now. It's clear that Carroll knew how to get the best from Wilson, but that was in his prime. The QB is now set to enter his age-37 season in 2025 and is declined in every sense of the word.
The pairing is probably going to happen at some point, but at this stage of his career, Russell Wilson is barely playable. He takes too many sacks, as we know, and cannot play on time or work the middle of the field, which are two requirements of a functioning passing attack in the NFL.
The Denver Broncos' pass rush would feast if Russell Wilson was on the Las Vegas Raiders.
Justin Fields
Justin Fields is cut from the same cloth as Russell Wilson, but Fields is quicker, faster, but isn't as good of a passer, so they kind of even out. There is a reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers were able to get Justin Fields for virtually nothing via trade last offseason. He's simply not a franchise QB.
The Raiders may think that Fields can hold the fort down for a year or two, but in the same way that the Broncos could feast on Wilson, they would feast on Fields. I think however you slice it, the Raiders are going to have some type of bridge QB in 2025, so they should not be a super competitive team.
Sure, Pete Carroll knows what he's doing, but this franchise is now set behind by years with their various missed draft picks and constantly changing regimes.