The Oakland Raiders could look at a trade with Matt McGloin this offseason to the Houston Texans if they feel Derek Carr can start or backup Matt Schaub in 2014, as Bill O'brien and McGloin have a connection going back to Penn State and with Ryan Fitzpatrick or Tom Savage as the top options in Houston right now, the head coach may feel more comfortable with a player he has worked with and has had success already.
McGloin and Terrelle Pryor split time last season with the Raiders and while McGloin did not turn into the next Tom Brady, he was very good at times and also orchestrated a win against the Texans. The Raiders liked McGloin enough to keep him over Tyler Wilson and Matt Flynn last year and they opted to trade Pryor to the Seattle Seahawks this year to keep him on the roster behind Schaub. The Raiders made a big move in the offseason to trade for Schaub and now that they have drafted Carr as a second round pick, they could look at moving him for a draft pick or another player to help with depth. According to ESPN.com blogger Field Yates, it's an option that the Texans have thought about, but so far no talks have happened.
O'Brien is content going into the season with rookie Tom Savage, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and undrafted rookie from last year Case Keenum, but he clearly could use an upgrade at the position. Andre Johnson has been staying away from team activities and that has been an issue and O'Brien could look at an upgrade to get him back into the fold. Reports have said that Ryan Mallett is a trade target with the Patriots after O'Brien worked there as QB coach for a number of years, but no deal is close on that side either. Mallett could be another solid option, as he knows O'Brien and is coming into the last year of his contract.
The Raiders have gone 4-12 the past two seasons and they are looking for improvement and while a trade with McGloin could be an option, they could look at trying to bring Johnson over. While the Raiders may not be a better situation than the Texans, he at least could reunite with a QB that he had success with in the past in Schaub and that would get him out of Houston. All the deals are unlikely now that camps and OTA workouts are starting, but the Texans may opt for a deal later if Savage or Fitzpatrick does not win the job over the summer in camp.
Johnson has been frustrated since he feels the team is rebuilding and he is getting older, but O'Brien said that he thinks the team has a chance to bounce back this year. The NFL usually has worst to first jumps, but the Texans went just 2-14 last season and that could be very tough. The team lost 14 straight games last season after winning their first two and all that could lead to a trade for Johnson. Last season Johnson was fantastic while playing with Schaub and Case Keenum throwing to him, as he had over 100 catches for 1,400 yards and five scores and now he could be on his way out of town.
