Raiders Making Unexpected 2020 Quarterback Signing
The Raiders are making an unexpected 2020 quarterback signing, it would appear.
It is no secret that head coach Jon Gruden is no big fan of Derek Carr’s.
Carr was expected to be the team’s starter next season due to a lack of other options, not because he was anyone’s first choice for the job.
As it turns out, Gruden may have found an alternative.
According to NFL insider Ian Wharton, there is interest on Gruden’s part in signing Jameis Winston to be the Raiders’ new quarterback.
“I heard Gruden was interested in Winston,” he wrote on Twitter.
“We’ll see how much, but going from Carr to Winston is quite the drastic philosophical change.”
I heard Gruden was interested in Winston. We’ll see how much, but going from Carr to Winston is quite the drastic philosophical change. https://t.co/Gf3gTVtyKz
— Ian Wharton (@NFLFilmStudy) January 27, 2020
Up to this point, the only quarterback even semi-credibly linked to the Raiders beyond Carr was Tom Brady. And most likely, Brady is not coming to Las Vegas.
The idea of Winston possibly joining forces with Gruden is fascinating.
This past season Winston became the first quarterback to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in one season. That fun fact embodies the good and bad that you inevitably sign up for when you make him your starter.
Winston has all the talent in the world, as evidenced by the fact that he threw for more than 5,000 yards this past year. He also makes terrible decisions and is sloppy with the football, as is clear by his picks total.
The big question is whether Gruden is the guy who can take the former No. 1 pick and develop him in a way that highlights his strengths and masks his weaknesses.
Before taking the Raiders job, Gruden spoke to the Orlando Sentinel in 2017 about what Winston brings to the table.
“When you watch Winston, you study Winston, you don’t realize how athletic he is,” he said at the time.
“How much offense he creates. What a gunslinger he is. How exciting a player he is. And the command that he has.
“He can get up there and recognize the defense. He can communicate what he wants done and he has the talent to execute any play that is called. It’s that combination that excites me.”
Over the course of his career up to this point, Winston has averaged 24 touchdowns, 18 interceptions and 3,947 passing yards per season.
Are those numbers tantalizing enough for the Raiders to make him the organization’s new starting quarterback? Time will tell.
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Jennifer Withers Hoey is a former Business Development Manager who transitioned to writing about sports. With valuable connections all over the West Coast, she has used those contacts to break some of the most interesting stories pertaining to the Portland Trail Blazers, Oregon Ducks, LA Lakers, LA Clippers, Seattle Supersonics (RIP), and more.
