Raiders Picked as ‘Landing Spot’ for Projected $118 Million QB
The Las Vegas Raiders moved here during the offseason, retaining coach Antonio Pierce to oversee things on the field and hiring general manager Tom Telesco to steer the ship in the front office.
But there are still many questions, especially on the offensive side of the ball, and the biggest concerns the quarterback. However, there might be a simple answer:
Kirk Cousins, free agent.Regardless of how the team views the situation long-term, whether it allows Aidan O’Connell to continue to develop after a tumultuous rookie year or selects a new signal-caller at 13th overall, the Raiders must be competitive in the short term.
The defense is too good, and the team’s offensive star — 31-year-old wide receiver Davante Adams — must know the Raiders have a chance at the Super Bowl next season, otherwise he might argue for a trade.
Cousins appear. At Pro Football Focus, they’ve outlined future free agent quarterback destinations, and the Raiders are on Cousins’ list.
As PFF wrote when reviewing Cousins’ travel destinations:“The Raiders are also ranked 13th overall, and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo appears on his way out after being benched for rookie Aidan O’Connell.
If new head coach Antonio Pierce wants to please Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers, he might want to make a splash.
Raiders would make sense for Kirk CousinsCousins would be a real looker. He played just eight games last year before suffering a torn Achilles tendon, a concerning injury for a player who turns 36 in August.
But it was a very impressive eight games played for a team that many thought would enter rebuilding mode.
Minnesota went 4-4 with Cousins, and he threw for an average of 291.4 yards with a QB rating of 103.8, third in the NFL.He’s thrown 18 touchdowns and just five interceptions this year.
He had an 86.1 grade on PFF, which placed him ninth among the league’s 38 rated quarterbacks.
For a Raiders team that improved defensively over the last year, adding an offensive weapon like Cousins could propel them into the ranks of AFC contenders next season.
Aidan O’Connell as backup QB? Signing Cousins would allow O’Connell to step into a backup role and allow the Raiders to focus on something else with their first-round pick – perhaps the offensive line, which may need to help.
There are a handful of quality blocking players who should be available if the Raiders decide to do so. There will be competition for Cousins, who is expected to receive a two-year, $60 million contract, according to PFF.
That kind of short-term commitment should go well with the Raiders, who have faced three quarterbacks – Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo and O’Connell – in two years.
