Following the hire of HC Pete Carroll, the Raiders are looking to flip the organization’s trajectory and transform it into a win-now team for 2025.
The first order of business from a roster standpoint is the quarterback position, as Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell have not shown enough to be the unquestioned starter heading into the new season.
Las Vegas holds the No. 6 pick in the draft but there are only two QBs looked at as early first-round picks and a plethora of QB-needy teams ahead of them.
Tony Pauline of SportsKeeda says “the overall belief from people in the league” is the Raiders are one of the teams who are trying to trade up in the draft with the hopes of landing Miami QB Cam Ward.
Pauline adds there’s a “reasonable chance” Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders could fall to them at No. 6 should they not be able to complete a trade-up for Ward.
Las Vegas has also been linked to veteran Rams QB Matthew Stafford if he becomes available in a trade, so the Raiders should have plenty of options to dig into in the coming weeks.
Ward, 22, enrolled at Incarnate Word in 2020 after only receiving offers there and Texas Southern. After two seasons, Ward entered the transfer portal and committed to Washington State.
Ward spent two years at Washington State and was a four-star transfer in the portal last offseason before committing to Miami for his final year. He led the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record and a bowl appearance as a Heisman finalist in his only season.
In his collegiate career, Ward appeared in 57 games over five years and recorded 18,189 passing yards, 158 passing touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also rushed for 473 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Sanders, 22, was a two-year starter at Jackson State before transferring to Colorado before the 2023 season.
NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah has compared him to Seahawks QB Geno Smith.
In two years at Colorado, Sanders completed 71.8 percent of his pass attempts for 7,364 yards, 64 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 24 career games, adding eight more scores on the ground.
We’ll have more on the Raiders’ plans at quarterback as the news is available.
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