Football - Oakland Raiders Have Talks With Jeff Gar

The free agency season has started and the Oakland Raiders started theirs by meeting Jeff Garcia. However, Garcia said that he would have discussions with other teams before deciding which team to sign for next year.

During his meeting with the Raiders, Garcia met the new coach, Lane Kiffin, along with other officials at the Raiders’ headquarters. Unfortunately, neither the Raiders nor Garcia came to an agreement on a contract. Garcia’s agent, Steve Baker, said that Garcia plans to meet other teams before making a final decision.

Baker informed that Garcia was impressed by Kiffin but he wants to explore other options. Baker did stress that he did not envision compensation being a big issue for Garcia. Baker said that Jeff would be paid like any other starter in football and would be given a chance should he have to compete for the starting job. Garcia would join a team that gives him the best chance of being successful.

Knowing this, the Oakland Raiders should be prepared for the worst especially after last season when the Raiders went for 2-14 and had just 168 points. It is believed that Tampa Bay, Minnesota, Houston and Denver are also interested in Garcia.

After the Philadelphia Eagles decided not to bring back Garcia, he became a free agent. The decision taken by the Eagles was surprising because he led the team to five straight wins at the end of the regular season and he also helped the Eagles win in the first round of the playoffs after Donovan McNabb injured his knee.

Garcia was a three time Pro Bowl quarterback in San Francisco but ended up struggling for two seasons when he was with Cleveland and Detroit. Last season, his career received a second life after McNabb got injured and he completed 61.7 percent of passes for 1,309 yards and had 10 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Oakland desperately need a quarterback after they scored just 12 offensive touchdowns and had 72 sacks last season. Though Garcia did say that he might be interested in playing for the Raiders, it might just not happen this season.