The bad news for the Raiders is that the roster still features 290 pounds of JaMarcus Russell at quarterback. The good news is that Bruce Gradkowski might not be the only alternative.
Apart from Donovan McNabb, the Raiders also reportedly are sniffing around Sage Rosenfels of the Vikings.
Per Mike Lombardi of NFP, the Raiders and Vikings are “discussing the availability” of Rosenfels, a veteran backup who arrived via trade last year to push (or leapfrog) Minnesota’s own failed first-day draft pick, Tarvaris Jackson.
Enter Brett Favre. In the aftermath of the arrival of No. 4, Jackson stepped up -- and Rosenfels ended up being the No. 3 man on the depth chart.
But the Vikings surely can’t move Rosenfels unless/until they know that Favre will be back. Then again, trading Rosenfels likely would confirm the widely-held belief that Favre will be returning, but that he won’t make it official until August, thereby ducking the offseason grind and training camp.
Still, the Vikings need to consider the future. The jury is still out on Jackson, and thus the Vikings might need Sage for 2011.
Bottom line? V.P. of player personnel Rick Spielman championed the acquisition of Rosenfels, and we can’t imagine Spielman letting Rosenfels go until he has had a chance to show what he can do -- unless, that is, the Raiders decide to overpay.