Raiders Trade Rumors: Oakland Discussed Giants' Davis Webb Before McCarron Deal

AJ McCarron wasn't the only quarterback the Oakland Raiders considered for their backup quarterback position.

According to ESPN's Jordan Raanan, Oakland inquired about New York Giants quarterback Davis Webb. However, Davis was one of four quarterbacks the Giants kept on their 53-man roster, and the Raiders wound up sending a fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for McCarron. 

Oakland wound up releasing former fourth-round pick Connor Cook as a result of the McCarron acquisition.

A third-round pick last year, Webb did not see the field as a rookie—not even when New York benched two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning for a game en route to a 3-13 season. Veteran Geno Smith wound up getting the nod for a Week 13 start, a 24-17 loss to Oakland, in a decision that led to many scratching their heads.

The 6'5", 225-pound Webb put up huge numbers during his time at Texas Tech and California, throwing for 4,295 yards and 37 touchdowns as a senior. And while it's possible Webb could still be Manning's eventual successor, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ Advance Media reported the team is shopping the second-year passer, as it used a fourth-round pick on Richmond star Kyle Lauletta in April.

It's not clear what the Giants are asking in return for Webb or what the Raiders were willing to offer. 

Meanwhile, Oakland acquired a passer who has starting (and postseason) experience in McCarron. When Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback Andy Dalton injured his thumb late in the 2015 season, McCarron, then in his second season, stepped in and went 2-1 to close out the regular season. His lone loss came in overtime on the road to the eventual Super Bowl champs, the Denver Broncos.

McCarron also had the Bengals within 96 seconds of their first playoff win in more than two decades—until Jeremy Hill fumbled the game away. That came just moments after McCarron threw a clutch, go-ahead touchdown pass to A.J. Green.

McCarron found himself at the center of trade rumors last year as he played out his rookie contract. After a midseason trade to the Cleveland Browns fell through, he wound up signing a two-year, $10 million deal with Buffalo this offseason.

David Richard/Associated Press

The veteran was, at the very least, supposed to compete for the starting job with rookie Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman. However, a shoulder injury all but knocked him out of the race. When he played the entirety of the team's preseason finale, it was clear his days in a Bills uniform were numbered.

It was just two years ago that Oakland learned how important it is to have a quality backup quarterback. The Raiders were knocked out of the 2016-17 playoffs by the Houston Texans after Derek Carr broke his leg late in the regular season. While Jon Gruden and Co. hope Carr doesn't miss a snap this year, they made sure to bolster their depth chart just in case.