Quite an interesting group of potential free-agent quarterbacks this year. Up until Eli Manning announced his retirement, the group had three future Hall of Famers in it and a potential Hall of Famer in Philip Rivers.

Drew Brees, it would appear, is mulling either retirement or a return to the Saints, as he should. Rivers pulled up stakes and moved to the East Coast, so presumably, that’s where he would like to spend the final few years of his NFL career. Dak Prescott is headed for a franchise tag in Dallas. And even with those four out of the picture, it’s still an intriguing group.

For some of these guys, whether the Raiders are interested in them will be wholly dependent on whether they keep Derek Carr in place or not. For others, it may not matter as they can battle Carr for the job or back him up. Currently the other QB under contract next season for the Raiders is DeShone Kizer.

Tom Brady, 43

Hard to believe we’re actually talking about a 43-year-old quarterback being among the top free agents on the market. But Brady isn’t just any player. He isn’t just any quarterback. There was a lot of fuss about him chatting with Mark Davis at UFC 246 in Las Vegas.

There may or may not be anything to that, but Brady has said he isn’t retiring and if the California native is looking to spend his last couple years in the league on the left coast, Las Vegas would make some sense. Obviously, this kind of signing would have Derek Carr going elsewhere.

Ryan Tannehill, 31

The Comeback Player of the Year who had been traded by the Dolphins and rode the bench in Tennessee before taking over as the starter midseason and leading the Titans on a playoff run. Tannehill and the Titans’ ride didn’t end until they met the buzzsaw in Kansas City. Now he is headed for free agency and probably a big contract.

If the Titans are smart, they’ll hold onto him. But if not, there will be a few teams lining up to sign him. Tannehill torched the Raiders in their meeting in week 14, throwing for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns to one interception in a 42-21 blowout. His 140.4 passer rating was one of six times he had a rating over 130 this season.

Teddy Bridgewater, 27

The former first-round pick who was selected ahead of Derek Carr in the 2014 draft. He made the Pro Bowl in his second season in Minnesota, but the following year suffered a catastrophic knee injury that had him miss all of 2016 and half of 2017.

He has been the backup to Drew Brees in New Orleans the past couple seasons, stepping in as the starter six times, throwing for 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions with the Saints going 5-1 in those starts. He could be given a shot on a team like the Raiders whether or not they move on from Derek Carr. Either giving the Raiders viable competition with Carr, or a potential starter to compete with a drafted rookie.

Marcus Mariota, 26

The man Tannehill replaced as the starter in Tennessee. At this moment, Mariota doesn’t look like a starting NFL quarterback. But he could be one of the better NFL backups. And, who knows, maybe a change of scenery is just what he needs. It worked for Tannehill, it could work for him as well. Mariota was the second overall pick in the 2015 draft.

In his second season, he threw for 3426 yards, 26 TD’s and 9 interceptions. That as under a different head coach in Mike Mularkey. Mike Vrabel took over two seasons ago and Mariota’s numbers have gone down. Not saying it’s the coach’s fault, it just may not be a good match. Hence the change of scenery.

Others to keep an eye on: Jameis Winston (26), Case Keenum (32), AJ McCarron (29)

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