If star pass-rusher Maxx Crosby had any say, Aaron Rodgers would be the Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback for the 2025 NFL season.
The Raiders missed out on their No. 1 choice among potentially available veterans to take over at QB1 as the Los Angeles Rams opted to keep Matthew Stafford. That left the Raiders’ quarterback room where it was when the season ended: Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew, Desmond Ridder and Carter Bradley are the team’s options ahead of the start to the new league year on March 12.
Of those four, O’Connell might be the only one who could remain with the team. There’s still room for someone who has proved he can play at an All-Pro level, even if that someone might have just turned 41.
That is why Crosby is lobbying for Rodgers to join his team. The Jets are moving on from Rodgers after a two-year stint, with the first season cut short by an Achilles injury. Crosby has seen other athletes make a leap once they’re further removed from injury.
“First year off an Achilles is one of the hardest things to do,” Crosby said on his podcast Tuesday. “You’ve seen it happen with Kirk (Cousins). It happened with Aaron. I mean, he struggled, but he got better as the season went. I think with all the doubt and all the negativity around Aaron Rodgers I think he’s gonna come back and have a big year this year, and I hope it’s in our town. That would be legendary.”
Rodgers still had a productive 2024 despite the team’s 5-12 record, finishing with 3,897 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. That is a lot better than what O’Connell and Minshew had combined (3,625 yards and 17 touchdowns) in the Raiders’ 4-13 season. Rodgers, even with his injury history and advanced age, would be an upgrade. Crosby sees that and hopes the 20-year NFL veteran joins the Raiders.
Of course, the decision is up to Raiders general manager John Spytek and maybe a certain ex-quarterback who continued to show his excellence well into his 40s … minority owner Tom Brady.
