Raiders mailbag: Is Colts quarterback an option?
With the NFL scouting combine starting Monday and free agency right around the corner, Raiders fans have plenty of questions about the future.
Here is a sampling of what arrived in this week’s mailbag:
Matt Berger (@matt_berger): I’m hearing the Raiders’ quarterback will be everyone from Jayden Daniels to Gardner Minshew. What’s the wildest QB rumor you’ve heard so far?
VINCENT BONSIGNORE: Minshew is definitely out of left field, although maybe not as crazy as it might seem. The Raiders will undoubtedly look to draft their quarterback of the future. But if they strike out, chances are they will roll with second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell as the starter. Minshew, though, would be an excellent backup candidate.
Alex O (@STLRaider85): I still love the idea of bringing in Justin Fields because of the sheer talent, but do you think that would be difficult to structure our offense around with O’Connell as the backup? If Fields went down, our offense would change drastically.
VB: Fields feels unlikely, given his history with new Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. You get the sense that both would benefit from going in different directions. On the other hand, maybe Fields and Getsy have each concluded the offensive issues in Chicago were more the result of the lack of talent around Fields and would welcome a chance to work together in a different setting.
And yes, the offensive structure would be vastly different for Fields compared to O’Connell.
Kenny Nauta (@kennynautajr): Why are people in the NFL media getting all up in their feelings about Antonio Pierce saying he’s going to play physically against Patrick Mahomes?
VB: Slow news day.
Dan The Big Kitty Daddy (@KittyDaddy1622): Are we running a version of the West Coast offense under Luke Getsy?
VB: Yes. When you look at Getsy’s background and the entire offensive staff, there is a heavy West Coast offense connection, with some Mike and Kyle Shanahan zone run scheme element.
David Kromelow (@dkrom59): Can you see the Raiders targeting J.J. McCarthy in a trade-up if Jayden Daniels goes top three?
VB: Let’s see how next week’s combine — and McCarthy’s pro day — goes. But if all goes well, from a Raiders perspective, yes.
Las Vegas Taeders (@SilverAndBlake0): If the Raiders were planning on trading up, when would that be anticipated to happen? Earlier in the offseason or maybe closer to the draft?
VB: If it’s to get to the top three, sometime in March or early April. If it’s to move up to get a McCarthy, that feels more like a draft-day deal.
Ed Helinski (@MrEd315): What method of scouting and college player evaluations might the Raiders prefer? NFL combine, Senior Bowl, scouting at college games or college pro days?
VB: Having previously covered Tom Telesco, all of the above are valuable tools. The game tape always carries the most weight. But even that can be trumped by the medical history and background checks.
B2Grizzly (@brian4catlin): What financial impact did hosting the Super Bowl have for the Raiders franchise?
VB: The majority of playoff revenue, including the Super Bowl, is evenly distributed among the 32 teams. The benefit for the Raiders, thanks to the partnership investment by the state of Nevada, Clark County and Las Vegas, is a state-of-the-art stadium in an enviable market. The financial implications of the increased revenue from that stadium will provide long-range benefits. Remember, the Raiders went from a stadium and market that generated bottom-of-the-NFL revenue to one expected to produce top-five revenue.
That is the win the Raiders secured in moving to Las Vegas. Their presence in Allegiant Stadium now benefits the state, county and city they call home. That was part of the state’s eagerness to partner up with the Raiders and the NFL.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
