There’s some good vibes happening in Las Vegas right now. They got the hottest GM candidate out there in John Spytek, Tom Brady offering his insight as a minority owner, a legendary head coach in place in Pete Carroll, a innovative OC in Chip Kelly, retained popular DC Patrick Graham, have a ton of cap space, and a lot of draft capital as well.
There’s plenty to feel good about. Yeah, they need a few things. But what they don’t need is Aaron Rodgers. In fact, I’d go as far as to say he is the *last* thing they need.
And yet since the moment the Jets announced they were going to be releasing him, the first team that seems to come up as a potential landing spot for Rodgers is the Raiders.
I don’t get it. Honestly I don’t.
Even if you remove his annual off-field anti-science nonsense, his weird self-involved code-speak appearances on weekly podcasts, or his annual “darkness retreats” that leave his team in limbo while he decides whether he still wants to play, he’s still not a good fit.
And, mind you, you can’t remove that stuff. It’s a package deal, baby.
But let’s just look at the Raiders for a second.
This team has been floundering for the better part of 23 years now. First it was bandaid veteran castoffs who either failed epically or were just mediocre.
Then there was JaMarcus Russell which was just bad luck that the Raiders had the top pick in a year where he was considered the top QB in the draft. Then more failings.
Then nine years of fool’s gold Derek Carr behind center.
And now two years back with the bandaid/bridge quarterbacks. They wanted a fresh start and they got one.
It’s well overdue for the Raiders to go all in on a potential long term franchise QB. That means either sign a young QB with upside (ie Sam Darnold) or use their top pick on one.
Rodgers is 41 years old. He’s three years removed from his last Pro Bowl season. His touchdowns have been down and his interception numbers have been in the double digits. Even reuniting with Davante Adams didn’t help things.
What do the Raiders actually gain from signing a 41-year-old bridge quarterback?
I mean, besides kicking the can down the road again (again)? Besides adding a locker room vibe-wrecking unnecessary sideshow headache?
Two teams have already grown tired of his act and his fading talents. The Packers were ready to go with Jordan Love and have been a better team since making that decision. And now the Jets have as well. Leading to a chef’s kiss of an Onion headline.
Numerous Teams Express Interest In Aaron Rodgers Playing Elsewhere
theonion.com/numerous-tea…— The Onion (@theonion.com) February 18, 2025 at 8:28 AM
There is a school of thought that says signing a potential starting QB is a good idea so you go into the draft with someone in place. The thinking being two-fold — so you have a QB in case your guy isn’t there and so teams are less likely to jump ahead of you thinking you won’t draft a quarteback.
The most recent example of this was last year with the Falcons signing Kirk Cousins only to take Washington QB Michael Penix with the ninth overall pick.
There is a big difference there. And it’s age. Cousins is five years younger. So, the Falcons legitimately could have gone with him as their QB long term should there not have been a QB they liked in the draft. Likewise, that was enough of a possibility that it stunned a lot of people when they pulled the trigger on Penix anyway.
Signing Rodgers would not fool anyone. Teams would still know full well the Raiders would be looking to take a QB near the top of the draft if at all possible because Rodgers is not a long term answer.
And don’t give me the ‘but Tom Brady played until he was 45 and won a Super Bowl at 44’. If there’s anything you should know by now, it’s that Brady is the exception to all the rules. He also wasn’t spending every offseason in his late 30s/early 40s flirting with retirement. He was always all-in.
Not to mention Brady’s numbers in his 40s blow Rodgers’s career numbers out of the water. Five of Brady’s six seasons in his 40s were better than any of Rodgers’s six seasons since his late 30s. There’s simply no comparison.
Rodgers isn’t the answer the Raiders need. Signing him would be a mistake. They don’t need a one-year patch or a bridge. They need a potential long haul QB.