Raiders free agent wish list: Quarterbacks

Quarterback may not be a high priority, but the Raiders will need to sign one. And like last offseason, a veteran addition is their best bet. EJ Manuel was a great find as a fill-in, beating out incumbent backup Connor Cook. There are a few good potential insurance policies out there this offseason as well.

Colin Kaepernick

There are going to be far better options on the market in terms of starters. Those QB’s will get big money on free agent deals from teams looking for a starter. But the Raiders aren’t looking at signing a starter. They need a veteran quarterback to again compete with Connor Cook for the primary backup spot behind Derek Carr. And there simply isn’t a better option out there for those purposes than Kaepernick.

The Turlock California native once led a team to the Super Bowl. Despite his NFL success and being at minimum a competent QB and borderline NFL starting quarterback, he couldn’t get a sniff from NFL teams last season. For some teams it was downright stupid and they sacrificed wins rather than signing Kaepernick because he started the league-wide practice of kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem in protest of racial profiling and police brutality. A protest that should no longer be an issue for teams because the NFL is said to be planning on keeping players in the locker room during the anthem this year.

Chad Henne

Over his career, Henne has started 53 games. His last start was 2014. Since then he has settled into his backup role. The former second round pick out of Michigan has always hovered around the level of passable stopgap, throwing as many TD’s as interceptions. Last season the Raiders signed EJ Manuel because of his familiarity with Todd Downing from their time in Buffalo together. Henne played in Jacksonville under Greg Olson for two seasons. That familiarity makes Henne an ideal option for a smooth transition back to Olson as the OC in Oakland.

Matt Moore

The Southern California native and Oregon State alum has spent his entire career in the Southeast, first in Carolina and, for the past 7 seasons, in Miami. Just another one of those longtime backup quarterbacks who occasionally is called upon to start. He has started 30 games in his 10-year career with a 15-15 record. Over his seven seasons with the Dolphins he has started 17 games – just about the equivalent of a full season -- throwing for 4079 yards with 28 TD’s to 17 interceptions for a passer rating of 86.0. Not bad, especially for a backup.