3 future Raiders QBs fans can dream on instead of watching Desmond Ridder

The Las Vegas Raiders' season finds a way to get even worse than fans could have imagined. Entering Week 14, the Raiders were 2-10 without starting quarterback Gardner Minshew, who is done for the season after suffering a broken collarbone. With this, it would be Aidan O'Connell seemingly for the rest of the season.

But on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, O'Connell had to be carted off the field with his left leg placed in an air cast after getting pushed from behind while throwing the ball on the run. O'Connell was quickly ruled out, and head coach Antonio Pierce revealed after the game that the injury doesn't look good.

With O'Connell seemingly out due to injury, that means Raiders fans will likely see a lot of Desmond Ridder at quarterback. After the 28-13 loss, the Raiders are 2-11 on the year. With that, fans are looking towards the future. The Raiders main priority this offseason will be getting a quarterback after missing out last offseason.

Here are three targets Raiders fans should be dreaming about as their new quarterback next offseason.

3 future QBs Raiders fans can dream about next season

3. Cam Ward, Miami Hurricanes

Raiders fans are understandably looking towards the collegiate ranks, considering as of this writing, they hold the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft after their loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday. While the 2025 class isn't as good as the 2024 class that the Raiders missed out on, there are still talented starting caliber signal callers.

There are likely two quarterbacks who can be viewed as locks to be taken off the board in the first round. One of them is Miami Hurricanes' quarterback Cam Ward.

Ward seriously raised his stock this season after transferring over from Washington State. His throw power and accuracy, along with his ability to pull the proverbial rabbit out of his hat mid-play, helped lead Miami to a 9-0 start and into College Football Playoff contention. While they would lose two of their last three, Ward did show that he is able to put the team on his back to try and lead them to victory.

This season with Miami, Ward has thrown for 4,123 yards, 36 touchdowns, and seven interceptions while completing 67.4 percent of his passes.

Ward would be a solid choice for whichever team selects him.

2. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado Buffaloes

Now let's go to the other quarterback who is a virtual lock to be selected within the first five picks of the first round — Colorado's Shedeur Sanders.

While Sanders was viewed as one of the top prospects at his position, the belief was that Georgia's Carson Beck would be taken first. But now, it's a pretty safe bet that Sanders is the QB1 of this class. Sanders is probably the most accurate passer in this class and can make throws under pressure. Colorado's offensive line is far from the greatest, but Sanders can extend plays, evade defenders, and make plays downfield

This season, Sanders threw for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns, and eight interceptions while completing 74.2 percent of his passes.

Sanders does have an excitement factor to him, as he played plenty of big games in primetime for Colorado. Oh, and he has teased playing for the Raiders, and his father, NFL legend and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, told Pierce to draft Shedeur and safety Shilo.

1. Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Sanders and Ward are the top options available in the NFL Draft. But what about free agency? Admittedly, the options available on the open market in recent years have been far from great, as NFL teams have made sure their starting quarterbacks stayed put on long-term extensions.

This offseason, there's no debate that Sam Darnold will be the top option available.

Darnold signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Vikings with the purpose of serving as a bridge quarterback for first-round pick J.J. McCarthy. Those plans changed after the rookie out of Michigan suffered a season-ending knee injury during the preseason. Since the season started, Darnold has looked like the quarterback fans were excited about after he was selected third overall back in 2018 out of USC.

Entering Week 14, Darnold has thrown for 2,952 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions on a 67.6 completion percentage. Then, facing off against the Atlanta Falcons and the quarterback he replaced, Kirk Cousins, Darnold lit up the stat sheet. In the 42-21 win, Darnold completed 22-of-28 pass attempts for 347 yards and five touchdowns. You read that correctly, Darnold almost threw as many touchdowns as he did incompletions.

When looking at immediate available options, Darnold easily stands out. The Raiders may need to tool things around, such as bring in a new offensive play-caller and add some wide receivers. However, Raiders are projected to have well over $100 million in cap space, which they can devote to paying Darnold and rebuilding the offense.

Even with adding Darnold, that shouldn't prevent them from having a succession plan at quarterback. Yes, that means using their first round pick on either Sanders or Ward. The Raiders need to get the quarterback position right, and bringing in Darnold and a rookie could be the way to go.