Report: Nathan Peterman, Raiders Agree to Contract 5 Weeks After Bills Release

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The Oakland Raiders signed free-agent quarterback Nathan Peterman on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. 

Rapoport was referring to Jon Gruden’s comments about Peterman before he was the head coach in Oakland. In his ESPN days, Gruden wrote the following before the 2017 NFL draft:

“Peterman is ready to walk in and be a contributor from day one. He just looks like a pro quarterback—coming out of the huddle, running an offense with different formations, shifting, motioning, different patterns that other colleges don’t run.

“Peterman will recognize route combinations and associate formations. Most importantly, he will be able to get in a huddle from day one and look at 10 grown men and tell them where to go and what to do and handle a versatile snap count. He has a vast amount of experience, not only in running different offenses but dealing with a lot of different teammates in the huddle.”

Peterman, a fifth-round pick in 2017, started his professional career with the Buffalo Bills and made two starts as a rookie. He was named the Week 1 starter prior to the 2018 campaign but was benched in favor of rookie Josh Allen less than one game in.

Buffalo gave the 24-year-old another look after Allen (elbow) and Derek Anderson (concussion) suffered injuries. However, he fared no better in his last outing, completing 31 passes for just 188 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions against the Chicago Bears.

The second-year passer completed just 54.3 percent of his attempts this season for 296 yards, one touchdown and seven picks. He had three multi-interception games in four appearances. And nobody will ever forget when he threw five interceptions in one half against the Los Angeles Chargers in his first career start.

The Bills released him Nov. 12.

Given that the Raiders can cut AJ McCarron after this season without absorbing a cap hit, potentially saving them a $5 million cap hit in 2019, Peterman may be viewed as a cheaper long-term backup for Derek Carr.