All signs appear pointed toward the Oakland Raiders as the most likely destination for free agent quarterback Josh Freeman. With Freeman's close ties to offensive coordinator Greg Olson and the Raiders' uncertainty at quarterback, the 25-year-old free agent could soon be donning black and silver.
Olson was the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the team drafted Freeman in 2009. Freeman enjoyed his best NFL season with Olson, who praised the quarterback on Thursday.
"You know, I've always been a fan of Josh's," Olson said, via ESPN. "I have a lot of respect for him, as a person and a player, and it's unfortunate to me to watch what happened in Tampa ... really over the last couple of years."
Olson added: "But I've always had the utmost respect for him and I think he's a great player. I feel bad for him and that situation, how it's played out. I just found out myself coming off the practice field that he was released."
Matt Flynn, acquired from Seattle for a fifth-round 2014 draft pick and a conditional pick in 2015, didn't work out. Flynn lost the quarterback competition to Terrelle Pryor and was demoted to third-string after last weekend's loss to Washington.
Oakland handed the reins to Pryor to evaluate whether he can be a franchise quarterback, but it's too early to anoint the second-year pro as the quarterback of tomorrow.
Sitting at 1-3, general manager Reggie McKenzie and coach Dennis Allen may consider it worthwhile to take a chance on Freeman and see if Olson can rekindle any of the magic Freeman showed in 2010.
Allen didn't deny the team was considering signing Freeman, either. When asked if there was any interest in the quarterback, Allen said softly, "I don't know."
As for Freeman, he doesn't seem to mind the possibility of playing in Oakland.
