The Las Vegas Raiders won a meaningless game over the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend as far as this season is concerned, but what that victory means to the Raiders' future prospects at QB is nothing short of monumental.
Las Vegas fell in the projected NFL draft order from the No. 1 overall pick to the No. 6 slot after the victory, which bumped the Raiders from a two-win team to a record of 3-12.
Head coach Antonio Pierce was defiant when reporters asked him about falling out of the top draft position, which would have guaranteed Las Vegas the ability to acquire Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders who has the potential to be a franchise player.
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
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"We don't do this to lose," Pierce said during a press conference Monday. "We don't do this for anybody's fantasy football team; don't do this for anybody's draft projections. None of that **** matters to us. What matters is winning, and that's all we want to do."
Pierce's attitude is the kind that garners respect inside of football locker rooms. That said, front offices tend to value foresight as much as winning -- at least when winning a meaningless battle in the present means continuing to lose a the larger war for years into the future.
All of that could result in the Raiders turning to the trade or free agent markets to acquire their next starting QB. Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings could be an option, though far more likely is Kirk Cousins -- Darnold's predecessor in Minneapolis.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
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"Sources pointed to the Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and New York Giants as possible places where Cousins could start immediately in 2025," Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports reported last week.
The Atlanta Falcons lured Cousins out of Minnesota with a $180 million contract, but benched the four-time Pro Bowler ahead of last week's game for rookie Michael Penix Jr. The team is certain to trade or release Cousins ahead of March 17, when it will owe him a $10 million roster bonus.
Whether the Raiders would have to trade for Cousins and pick up a $27.5 million tab in 2025 would depend on the market for him and how desperate Las Vegas is for a starting QB at that point.
The other option would be to wait for the Falcons to cut Cousins and try to sign the QB for much less. However, that would make his acquisition far less certain, as Cousins could then sign wherever he chose.
