Who will be the quarterback of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2023 and beyond? It feels like the writing is on the wall with the team not only benching Derek Carr but actually having him stay away from the team facility for the final couple of weeks of the season. The Raiders could trade Carr to the highest bidder or let him hit free agency by cutting him.
The former would seem much more likely than the latter, of course, but I guess with Josh McDaniels running the show, you never know. Remember when McDaniels was hired by the Denver Broncos back in 2009 as the youngest head coach in the NFL? His first order of business was to alienate and trade Jay Cutler, and he accomplished that.
Now, almost 14 years later, it seems history is going to repeat itself. If McDaniels is going to jettison Derek Carr, who does he have in mind? My guess is, there’s been an endgame for some time now…
10 options for the Las Vegas Raiders at QB in 2023
1. Tom Brady (2023 NFL free agent)
If the last 20-plus years of NFL football have shown us anything, it’s that Josh McDaniels is fully capable of having lots of success when Tom Brady is his quarterback. And the same is true of Tom Brady with McDaniels. These two guys know how to gameplan together, they work well together (somehow), and they simply win together. They always have regardless of what other personnel is around them. When it’s McDaniels and Brady, good things tend to happen.
So how about the Raiders luring free agent quarterback Tom Brady to Sin City in 2023 to earn a tax-free income? The Bucs can offer him the same in Florida, so it’s really not going to be that much different, but Brady will be getting a decent upgrade in overall weaponry here going from Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and Darren Waller.
2. Jimmy Garoppolo (2023 NFL free agent)
Reunions between McDaniels and some of his former quarterbacks will be a common thread throughout this post. It just so happens that a number of guys he worked with while he was with the Patriots are going to be free agents in 2023.
That includes Jimmy Garoppolo, the starter for the 49ers (when healthy) and someone who has had a really tough time staying on the field throughout his NFL career. I think if the Raiders were to try and snag Garoppolo, it would be coming along with some other young QB early in the NFL Draft, but Garoppolo would certainly be in a decent situation with the Raiders in terms of the weapons at his disposal.
3. Will Levis (2023 NFL Draft prospect)
Will Levis might be one of the weirdest dudes in the upcoming NFL Draft depending on your personal preferences. The guy eats the peel with the banana and puts mayonnaise in his coffee. Okay, maybe those were just social media gags…or maybe not.
It doesn’t matter, either way. Will Levis has a heck of an arm and tons of talent, and will be coveted by NFL teams in the Spring. He’s a heck of an athlete, he’s supremely confident, and while he’s not the sum of his parts yet (how many college guys are?) he’s a worthwhile player to develop and it’s possible that Josh McDaniels wants to build around his own guy.
4. Lamar Jackson (2023 NFL free agent)
Here’s a long shot to consider, but it’s something to consider nonetheless. The longer Lamar Jackson goes without a new contract from the Ravens, the more reasonable the idea of him changing teams in 2023 becomes.
That could all change with one offer from the Ravens, but they have shown at this point that they are more than willing to wait things out with Jackson, and right now, Jackson isn’t playing. He’s missed a bunch of time this season with a knee injury but the Ravens have persevered and are going to the playoffs.
Could the Ravens tag and trade Jackson this offseason? Would they be a spot to consider for a potential Derek Carr deal? It’s not an impossible thought to think at this point.
5. Jacoby Brissett (2023 NFL free agent)
More reunions!
The New England Patriots were the team that drafted Jacoby Brissett once upon a time, making the former NC State star a third-round pick back in 2016. He spent just one season with the Patriots before getting dealt to the Indianapolis Colts but Brissett has proven himself to be an effective starter in the NFL, if only on a year-to-year basis.
In essence, he’s the ideal “bridge” type of guy and playing in McDaniels’ scheme, who knows? Maybe the Raiders could actually return to the playoffs.
6. Jarrett Stidham (2023 NFL free agent)
Well, the Las Vegas Raiders have benched Derek Carr for Jarrett Stidham now. Maybe Josh McDaniels actually buys this kid’s future as an NFL starter.
We’ve seen crazier things, I guess.
Stidham was a fourth-round pick back in the 2019 NFL Draft by the — you guessed it — New England Patriots. The Raiders acquired him in the 2022 offseason and it looks like there’s a chance they might actually buy into his long-term future. I would put this one firmly in the “unlikely” category, but with Josh McDaniels, you just never know.
7. Anthony Richardson (2023 NFL Draft prospect)
Anthony Richardson is one of the most “toolsy” quarterback prospects in the class of 2023. He’s got a big arm, tremendous athleticism, playmaking ability, and poise. We saw him start the year on a pretty rough note for Florida after coming into the year with sky-high expectations. He had 0 passing TDs and 4 INTs through his first three games of the year, but finished with 17 TDs and 5 INTs in the next nine games.
He also added nine rushing touchdowns over the course of the season. There’s plenty of work to be done here, but the last time Josh McDaniels was a head coach and faced the idea of a 1st-round pick at QB who wore no. 15 at Florida and needed some work, he embraced it head-on.
8. Sam Darnold (2023 NFL free agent)
There will always be the possibility of reclamation projects when it comes to teams making a transition at the quarterback position. Sam Darnold, one of the prized prospects of the 2018 NFL Draft class, has struggled to keep his head above water at the NFL level. He has struggled with many of the same things we saw from him at USC in terms of ball security, but lately, we’ve seen him play some of the better ball he’s played in his NFL career.
The Panthers have won three out of Darnold’s four starts so far this season. He might potentially lead them back into the playoffs. He has four touchdowns, no interceptions, and Darnold’s completion percentage has increased every week he’s played.
We’ll see how NFL teams (over)react to his success so far in 2022.
9. CJ Stroud (2023 NFL Draft prospect)
If the Raiders are picking in the top-10 of the 2023 NFL Draft, CJ Stroud out of Ohio State has to be an option, right? He has shown the ability at Ohio State to distribute the ball all around the field, but he’s not the same type of prospect as Justin Fields before him. Fields, who just became one of three NFL quarterbacks in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards, is much more dynamic athletically.
Stroud is a point guard at the QB position and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s going to be a blast to see how Stroud fares against a defensive front like Georgia’s, which is loaded with future NFL players.
10. Baker Mayfield (2023 NFL free agent)
Once again, a potential reclamation project in 2023. I think Baker Mayfield is going to have a couple of options with what we’ve seen from him as a Los Angeles Ram.
1. He’s going to get a strong offer to go back to the Rams and be a backup to Matthew Stafford.
2. Some team is going to believe he can still be a starter, if only as a bridge to another guy in the future.
There are much worse dice to roll in 2023 if you ask me. The QB class of 2024 could play into some of the decision-making of NFL executives and Mayfield is a worthwhile risk-reward proposition for teams looking to “tank” for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. If Mayfield plays well, your team succeeds, and that’s great.
If he plays poorly, you set yourself up to be in the mix for one of those guys in 2024.