The LA Chargers have one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL in Justin Herbert and the Las Vegas Raiders were hoping to get on that level this offseason. Despite him being a perfectly fine quarterback, the Raiders decided it was best to move on from Derek Carr after the 2022 season.
Carr may not have been elite but he was at least a good quarterback and in today's game, that is hard to come by. The chances of the Raiders finding someone better are pretty slim, especially considering Tom Brady (who might have been their biggest target) is retiring.
Sure, they could hold onto the dream of landing someone like Aaron Rodgers but it seems more likely that the Raiders will take a step back at the QB position. In fact, ESPN's Field Yates recently predicted the starting QB for all 32 teams in 2023 and has the Raiders rolling out a rookie under center next season in Kentucky's Will Levis.
Chargers fans should hope Will Levis becomes the Raiders quarterback.
There are some things to like about Will Levis' game that Raiders fans will naturally convince themselves of if he was drafted. Levis has fantastic arm talent and is pretty athletic and can hurt you with his legs. That being said, there are also some concerns with his game.
The gunslinging Levis has never been a great decision-maker and has been prone to turning the ball over. Levis threw 10 interceptions in 11 games last season. He threw 23 picks in his 24 games as Kentucky's starter in two seasons.
The two best opponents he played last season (Tennessee and Georgia) he played absolutely horribly against. In those two games, Levis threw for a combined 304 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. He completed 36 of 58 passes.
This is leading many to call Levis the draft bust from this 2023 quarterback class. It might not be as bad as JaMarcus Russell for the Raiders, but it could be close.
Will Levis will be this year's biggest 1st round bust. Buy or sell?@BudElliott3 is selling and @CoachReedLive is buying ✍️
— 247Sports (@247Sports) March 1, 2023
WATCH 📺: https://t.co/OG2CVLvdEY pic.twitter.com/oKYYHPFrnm
The best-case scenario for Levis is him going to a team where he can sit for a year and learn behind a veteran quarterback. Maybe a team like Detroit could get the most out of him if he sits a year behind Jared Goff. Maybe a team like Minnesota could move up and have him sit behind Kirk Cousins for a year to learn.
The Raiders do not have that luxury. They would be throwing Levis straight into the fire and based on his performances against the closest thing to an NFL defense he saw, chances are he struggles immensely for the Raiders as a rookie. One bad rookie season could be enough to derail an entire NFL career for a quarterback.
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This would lead to a QB carousel for the Raiders and more years of mediocrity for that franchise. That is all music to Chargers fans' ears.