The Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo to a contract that includes $33.75 million in guarantees. He is their quarterback for the next two seasons.
But the Raiders haven’t ruled out drafting a quarterback in the first round.
They are doing their due diligence on the top prospects
“If we feel like the guy is worth it, we would do it,” Raiders coach Josh McDaniels said Monday, via Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com. “He’s a really good player at the most important position in football and so . . . is making your quarterback room stronger or a strength of your team a bad thing? In our opinion, it’s not.”
McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler attended pro days for Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young last week. They did not attend Kentucky’s Pro Day to watch quarterback Will Levis throw, but McDaniels allowed that they were “with Will the night before.”
Levis is among the team’s 30 visits and could still be on the board when the Raiders draft seventh.
“Some of this is you have to look at the traits that they have and then project them into your system with your development and say, ‘Where is this guy going to be three years from now?” McDaniels said.
One way or another, the Raiders will have to find a backup quarterback after losing Jarrett Stidham in free agency. McDaniels would prefer that the backup come out of the draft.
“It could be a rookie; it could be a veteran,” McDaniels said. “I think the goal though is to try to eventually draft a player at that position that you continue to move forward with and develop. We’ve done that. I’ve done that. I’ve been a part of that. I enjoy doing that. I think it’s a really good philosophy to have organizationally so you’re not chasing a brand-new backup quarterback every year and trying to identify who the best fit is. So, see if we can figure that out in the next month here.”