As the Raiders try to conjure a plan at quarterback given the broken collarbone suffered Sunday by quarterback Jason Campbell, various names have emerged.
One fairly big name hasn’t. But maybe it should.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Raiders are not considering Brett Favre, and the possibility of signing him hasn’t been discussed.
Of course, this doesn’t mean his name won’t come up.
Yes, Favre is retired. But, yes, it has been widely suspected that he’d be tempted to consider a Roger Clemens-style partial season, under the right circumstances.
In Oakland, the circumstances are far from ideal. There’s no West Coast offense or Mike Holmgren or Darrell Bevell or even a Brad Childress on the coaching staff. And the Raiders aren’t a short-list elite team that seems destined to play deep into January.
But other factors could intrigue Favre. The team has a great running game and an adequate defense. A young receiver like Darrius Heyward-Bey perhaps could blossom with Favre like Sidney Rice did in Minnesota.
Also, Favre played one of the finest games of his career at Oakland, a day after his father died. Only two days before Favre’s 42nd birthday, legendary Raiders owner Al Davis died, which gives the team a strong amount of emotional appeal. The there’s the fact that one of the biggest all-time Brett Favre cheerleaders -- John Madden -- is advising new owner Mark Davis. And given that Favre has become a villain of sorts in NFL circles over the past few years, it seems like Favre would be a perfect fit for the franchise that revels in its role as pro football’s Darth Vader.
For now, the news is that the name of a future Hall of Famer has yet to make it to the Raiders’ list, even though the Raiders are handcuffed by a limited market. At some point, who knows what will happen?
The Raiders host the Chiefs on Sunday. Next, they have a bye. With Kyle Boller and Terrelle Pryor expected to hold down the fort in the short term, the first opportunity for the next quarterback (whoever it may be) could come in 20 days, when the Raiders host the Broncos.