Jeff Garcia Signs One-Year Deal With Raiders

Yeah, you read it right. Jeff Garcia is now an Oakland Raider. After all these years, the trip across America has come back to where it started. The California native travels all around the NFL as a starting QB.

He was on San Francisco's roster from 1999-2003. He then spent one year in Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia, respectively.

He has spent his last two seasons in Tampa Bay, being the on-and-off starter with Brian Grease. Earlier today, he signed a one-year deal with Oakland, in his home state of California.

What does this do for the Raiders and JaMarcus Russell? A lot.

• First off, he brings competition to the table. JaMarcus Russell has been known to be lazy.Whether it's not trying to lose a few pounds, or taking a sack instead of trying to scramble, he just never seems to give his full effort. Now that the Raiders have a reliable "back-up," he will push to keep the starting position.
• Second, what if Russell just isn't good enough? "Oh no! This could never happen!" Well, yeah it could. The third-year quarterback out of LSU hasn't proven to be anything special, yet. He has all the makings of a good QB, but maybe he just doesn't have what it takes. Look at Ryan Leaf for example. Some people just aren't football players.
• Third and final, how about them Broncos! The Broncos probably would have liked to have a veteran QB on their roster in case they can't get Sanchez in the draft. The best way to prevent your rivals from doing good is by taking players they're interested in.

This signing may be Oakland's best acquisition so far this entire offseason. Garcia could turn out to be the missing piece in the Raider puzzle, even if he never plays again.

The AFC West is getting more competitive every day, and hopefully, it won't be the laughingstock of the NFL this year.