5 quarterback options who are a better fit for the Las Vegas Raiders than Sam Darnold

All signs are pointing to Sam Darnold leaving the Minnesota Vikings in free agency, and one likely suitor for the former first-round pick out of USC has emerged. That would be the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that is in dire need of a franchise quarterback. While Darnold played like one at times last season for the Vikings, his NFL career has been all sorts of bumpy up to this point. Can he handle more chaos?

Although I would be cautiously optimistic about Darnold taking over as the starting quarterback for the Raiders, I think the Silver and Black can do better. Darnold has shown us in his seven-year NFL career that he can play well for a solid organization, but he lacks the necessary extra gear to take a perennial doormat and transform them into a winner. To be fair, most quarterbacks are like this.

So what I want to do today is to take a look at a few other quarterbacks who could be available that might make better sense for the Raiders than Darnold. Not taking a quarterback in the first round last year resulted in head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco being fired after only one season on the job. Telesco did draft Brock Bowers out of Georgia, but the Raiders were terrible.

While ESPN's Adam Schefter thinks Darnold could be a fit for the Raiders, I feel Darnold's ceiling is limited.

Here are five potentially better options than Darnold for the Raiders to consider this NFL offseason.

5. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers

No, I am not going to run through a wall and definitely say that Aaron Rodgers will end up being a better option for the Raiders over Darnold, but I have seen him elevate the talent around him before. Yes, it was with a well-run organization like the Green Bay Packers and not the clown show that is masquerading as a professional football franchise called the New York Jets, but I have seen this!

To be fair, the Raiders should only look to add Rodgers as a bit of a stop-gap for them until they can draft a franchise quarterback in the coming years. Again, I would rather go in that direction in the draft, but I would take Rodgers' proven track record over Darnold coming off a career year. Rodgers may be more expensive, but he does not play anywhere as reckless as Darnold does under duress.

I would say that Rodgers maybe makes the Raiders a win or two better than Darnold, all things equal.

4. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins

The guy who Darnold replace in Minnesota could potentially beat him out for the Raiders' perceived quarterback vacancy. Yes, I am talking about Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons. While Cousins did have his moments with the Dirty Birds, mostly vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before Halloween, his declining play led to him being benched in favor of first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. in early January.

What I like about Cousins more than Darnold or Rodgers to the Raiders is that he should enter this offseason with a clean bill of health. An additional year removed from a torn Achilles should help one of the most accurate passers of his generation throw with a bit more zip on his ball. Cousins was lacking that down the stretch for Atlanta. He has shown he can win in dysfunction, especially inside.

Cousins would join the Raiders as a bit of an underdog, without all the hoopla of Darnold or Rodgers.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson

Again, I am not super high on this fit, but I have seen Russell Wilson win prolifically playing for Pete Carroll before. Yes, Wilson's ego got in the way of him being a likely Pro Football Hall of Famer to one who I now see as borderline. That being said, the former Seattle Seahawks' franchise quarterback had some quality moments last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Maybe that is enough for Carroll?

At this point, I would focus on Wilson winning in a similar vein to that of the Seahawks at their peak. He may want to cook, but let Chip Kelly do that for him in devising a fun and intricate offense for the Raiders. To be fair, bringing Wilson in might cause the Raiders to be even more combustible than normal. However, the juice may be worth the squeeze. Besides, how many options do they have?

I know Wilson can win with Carroll in Seattle, but how will he fare with Kelly now on the Raiders?

2. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields

I often go back and forth on whether I still believe that Justin Fields can make something of himself in this league. While I tend to side with no in that regard, the Raiders do feel like the perfect re-entry point for him to eventually become a high-end player in the NFL. He played for Ryan Day at Ohio State, the same Buckeyes team where Chip Kelly was the play-caller for the College Football Playoff winners.

The reason I am so bullish on the potential fit of Fields going to Las Vegas is the low-risk/high-reward nature of it all. If he bombs, so what? The Raiders will stink and they can then draft their franchise quarterback in 2026. Should Fields work out, he could be the franchise quarterback this team has been searching for. Because he has not had a truly great year, Fields would come for cheap.

To be fair, there is only one option for the Raiders this offseason, and we know what they have to do.

1. Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders

I do not care what it costs, just figure it out! The Raiders have the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft and they need a quarterback. Move heaven and earth to get inside of the top two in a deal with either the Tennessee Titans or the Cleveland Browns so you can make sure Shedeur Sanders is a Raider. The Colorado Buffaloes star is perfect for what the Raiders need. He projects to be like Geno Smith.

Pete Carroll may have been let go by the Seahawks, but he saw something in the former failed quarterback of the Jets out of West Virginia who has blossomed in Seattle in the second half of his career. Sanders gives the Raiders juice and an identity. He is absolutely perfect for their rebel brand. It does not matter how lopsided the trade ends up being, Sanders is the quarterback the Raiders need.

Drafting a high-end prospect like Sanders is how the Raiders can regain control of their franchise.