The National Football Post reports that the Raiders and Vikings are discussing the availability of quarterback Sage Rosenfels. That’s the second quarterback (Donovan McNabb was the first) in the past week that Oakland has been tied to via a potential trade.

Whether or not the Rosenfels report holds any water, the writing is on the wall for JaMarcus Russell, who apparently now weighs a hefty 290 pounds. It has been assumed that Russell would get at least one more opportunity to show the Raiders that he can be their starting quarterback, but maybe the team is ready to cut bait now. (And who can blame them given his nonchalant attitude and horrendous work ethic.)

Rosenfels isn’t a long-term solution for the Raiders, but he would be an upgrade over Russell and Bruce Gradkowski. None of the current quarterbacks on Oakland’s roster offer much long-term hope, but even Gradkowski proved to be more effective running the team’s offense than Russell before he got hurt late in the year. And while Rosenfels didn’t take a meaningful snap last season, he’s still a better option than Gradkowski at this point.

One thing to keep in mind is that if the Vikings do part with Rosenfels, it would virtually be a guarantee that Brett Favre is coming back. Minnesota won’t part with an insurance policy like Rosenfels, even if they believe Tarvaris Jackson can supplant Favre someday.

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