The Las Vegas Raiders are going to be playing in their new stadium in Sin City in 2020 and they could be a team looking to make a splash move at the quarterback position. As a matter of fact, the Raiders have recently been mentioned as a team that could have Ryan Tannehill on their radar.
Tannehill, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent, spent the 2019 season with the Tennessee Titans. Despite having a successful season with the Titans, it remains to be seen if Tennessee re-signs him. Also, the Titans are considered to be one of the front-runners to lure Tom Brady away from the New England Patriots.
In the event that Tannehill hits free agency, the Raiders could look to extend an offer to the Texas A&M product. Since Jon Gruden began his second stint as the head coach of the Raiders, Derek Carr has been his starting quarterback.
But ever since the conclusion of the 2019 season, Las Vegas has left the door open for a quarterback change next season. Whether it's through the draft or in free agency, it appears to be inevitable that the Raiders are going to add another quarterback this offseason. Provided that, here is why the Raiders should consider pursuing Tannehill in free agency.
Why the Raiders should pursue Tannehill
Seeing that Gruden inherited Carr when he became the head coach, he isn't latched to him at quarterback. Throughout the 2019 season, it was noticeable that Gruden and Carr weren't on the same page at times.
Due to the Raiders making the move to Las Vegas, it is vital for Gruden to find the quarterback that he believes can be the future of the franchise. While Tannehill is going to turn 32 years old this year, he fits the description of what Gruden is looking for in a quarterback.
Tannehill showed what he's capable of doing in a functional offense with the Titans in 2019. Gruden is known to be an aggressive coach that likes to run an offense that takes shots down the field. Even though Carr was efficient, completing 70.4 percent of his passes in 2019, he tends to be reluctant of throwing deep passes.
On the other hand, Tannehill was lethal when he was given an opportunity to complete a deep pass. As an illustration, Tannehill averaged 9.6 yards per attempt and 13.6 yards per completion with the Titans in 2019. Both of those numbers were the best among all quarterbacks in the NFL this past season.
Signing Tannehill would finally give Gruden the quarterback that he's been longing to have in his offense. Of course, the scenario of Tannehill heading to Las Vegas is dependent on Tennessee choosing to let Tannehill test free agency. But if the Raiders get a chance to offer a contract to the former first-round pick, they shouldn't waste any time doing so.
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