NFL rumors: Raiders considering former first-round pick for QB room

The Las Vegas Raiders brought in Jimmy Garoppolo to be their starting quarterback, and are looking to add a former first-round pick to the depth chart.

The Las Vegas Raiders answered the questions around the league about what they were going to do with the quarterback position after releasing Derek Carr. That was by signing former San Francisco 49ers starter Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.8 million contract.

While Garoppolo does have a solid track record as a starter, he also has injury concerns. So, who would head coach Josh McDaniels bring in to be the backup, especially after Jarrett Stidham left?

On Saturday, the Raiders hosted former 2011 first-round pick and Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert on a visit.

Raiders host former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert for visit

Gabbert was one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2011 draft class, but wasn’t the first one selected. Cam Newton, the Heisman Trophy winner, and national champion at the time, went first overall. Jake Locker was the second quarterback taken at the No. 8 spot by the Tennessee Titans. at No. 10, the Jaguars selected Gabbert.

Spending three years in Jacksonville, Gabbert went 5-22 as a starter, where he threw for 4,357 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions while completing 53.3-percent of his passes.

After the 2013 season, Gabbert was traded to the San Francisco 49ers, with whom he spent three seasons. He then had one year tenures with the Arizona Cardinals (2017) and Tennessee Titans (2018), before he joined the Buccaneers in 2019.

Gabbert spent three of the four years with Tampa Bay as Tom Brady’s backup quarterback. He won his first Super Bowl title in 2020 after the Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.

In his 12 years in the NFL, Gabbert threw for 9,302 yards, 51 touchdowns and 47 interceptions on a 56.4 completion percentage.

As mentioned earlier, the Raiders do have a need for a backup quarterback. Stidham, who started in the last two games of the 2022 season for Las Vegas, signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the rival Denver Broncos. The team does hold the No. 7 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, and they could use it on one of the top four quarterback prospects remaining (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson), realistically the last of the four. But, the Raiders are looking to bring in a veteran voice in their quarterback room.

Will Gabbert be the next quarterback to join the Raiders?