During a team press conference, Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie told reporters that he was not sure the future starting quarterback was currently on the roster. Despite having both 2013 starters, Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin, under contract, McKenzie showed no confidence in either quarterback. So if the future 2014 starter is not on the team, is he in Texas?
The Houston Texans made the first move in stabilizing their quarterback play on Thursday. According to ESPN.com's Ed Werder, the Texans signed quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a two-year contract. The quarterback has jumped around between several teams in his NFL career. He spent time as the starter for the Buffalo Bills. Last season he replaced the injured Jake Locker with the Tennessee Titans. He started nine games there, throwing for 2,454 yards and 14 touchdowns.
At 31, the Texans have no intentions of using Fitzpatrick as a starting quarterback. Instead, he will serve as a mentor to the rookie the team brings in. With the No. 1 overall draft pick, the Texans will likely pick up Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles as their future franchise star.
So with Fitzpatrick in, who is out? According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Texans are preparing to trade Matt Schaub to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a draft pick. The veteran quarterback struggled last season as Houston's starter. He tossed 14 interceptions before eventually getting replaced by Case Keenum. He also suffered an ankle injury that ended his season.
The Texans had been dangling Schaub in trade talks for weeks. The Cleveland Browns had expressed a lot of interest in the quarterback since Kyle Shanahan has experience with the quarterback. However, they have yet to make a move and the Raiders are simply being more aggressive. The two teams began discussing a trade before the Texans made a move for Fitzpatrick.
Trading for Schaub impacts the Oakland Raiders draft. With a top five pick, does the team still draft a quarterback in the first round? Getting the veteran frees them up to make a few more moves. Oakland could then opt to target a late-round quarterback like Aaron Murray or AJ McCarron who can then develop under Schaub. The Raiders have taken the veteran route before, McKenzie hopes this time is better.
