Quarterback may wind up in silver and black after meeting with
owner Al Davis on Friday
Gilroy – The Oakland Raiders met with Gilroy native and free agent quarterback Jeff Garcia on Friday, in what agent Steve Baker termed “a great meeting.”
Baker said there are still plans to meet with at least one other team, but he expects to have a deal finalized soon.
“We feel confident he’ll be paid like a starter, it’s just about finding a playing situation he feels comfortable in,” Baker said.
Garcia met with team owner Al Davis, as well as head coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Gregg Knapp and Baker said Garcia was pleased with the meeting.
“We’re having discussions with several different teams,” Baker said. “The Raiders have always been a team that Jeff has strongly considered because of the excitement of coming back to the Bay Area.”
Garcia spoke to ESPN Thursday about that possibility.
“I think it’s exciting to me in the sense that it allows me to return home,” Garcia told ESPN. “It allows me to get back to a place where I’m very comfortable.”
The biggest point of concern with signing with the Raiders stems from the likelihood that Oakland will select a quarterback with the first pick in April’s NFL Draft, most likely LSU’s Jamarcus Russell.
While Garcia was willing to return to the Eagles as a backup, Philadelphia’s re-signing of quarterback A.J. Feeley eliminated that option and the focus moved to free agency, where the hope is to find a starting job.
“Certainly the preference is either to start or having a chance to start,” Baker said. “But it’s also about having a chance to win.”
While the Raiders would not comment regarding any meetings with Garcia, the team did acknowledge its interest in the 37-year-old quarterback, who officially became available at 9pm Thursday when the NFL’s free agency signing period began.
“We’ve expressed some interest in him, but there’s plenty of other teams out there interested,” Raiders spokesman Travis Burns said.
Oakland appears to be in a three-way battle with Tampa Bay and Denver for Garcia’s services. A fourth team, Houston, is also reportedly interested.
Garcia, the former Gilroy High School, Gavilan College and San Jose State star who was a three-time Pro Bowl selection during a five-year stint with the San Francisco 49ers, is experiencing a career resurgence.
After disappointing seasons in Cleveland and Detroit, Garcia signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia last off-season to serve as a back-up to Donovan McNabb.
But when McNabb got hurt, Garcia took over for the final two months of the season.
He lost his initial start to eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis before rattling off five straight victories to lead the Eagles to the NFC East crown.
Philadelphia then opened the playoffs with a 27-24 win over the New York Giants before falling to New Orleans in the Divisional playoff round.
That magical ride and his Bay Area ties are enough to create some excitement within the Oakland organization, which is coming off its worst season in franchise history (2-14).
“The local ties and the fact that he’s a San Jose (State) guy, a 49er guy and a West Coast guy (creates some buzz),” Burns said. “But pretty much there’s just a buzz about the draft.”
