Oakland Raiders Trade For Matt Schaub

Dec 22, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) attempts a pass during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders have traded a sixth-round draft pick to the Houston Texans for two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Schaub.

The Raiders announced the trade via their website Friday afternoon after Schaub passed his physical.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier Friday that the deal was under discussion. Schaub carries a $14.5 million salary cap number for 2014 and is set to earn a base salary of $10 million next season. There had been speculation for several days linking Schaub to the Raiders, with the process speeding up after the Texans signed free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick on Thursday.

Having Schaub presumably reduces the pressure on general manager Reggie McKenzie to draft a quarterback with the No. 5 overall pick in the May draft.

Oakland currently now has four quarterbacks on the roster. Schaub joins Terrelle Pryor, who started nine games last season; Matt McGloin, who started six as an undrafted rookie in 2013; and Trent Edwards, who signed a future contract in January. The five-year veteran was not on a roster in 2013 after he was cut by the Chicago Bears after the preseason.

Schaub was a Pro Bowler in 2009 and again in 2012 with the Texans, leading the NFL in completions, passing attempts and passing yards in 2009 and in yards per completion in 2011.

From 2007-12, Schaub compiled a passer rating of 93.3 with 114 touchdowns and only 64 interceptions while completing 65.1 percent of his passes.

The Texans made their first playoff appearance in 2011, but Schaub wasn’t around for the postseason after sustaining a Lisfranc injury to his foot in Week 11. But he returned from the injury in 2012 to lead the Texans back to the playoffs and earned his second Pro Bowl nod after throwing for 4,008 yards and 22 touchdowns.

But the Texans, and Schaub, fell off a cliff in 2013. Schaub was benched after six games, the last four of which were losses, before returning to start the final two games of the season after his replacement, undrafted rookie Case Keenum, was injured. Houston finished 2-14 and lost its last 14 games and Schaub threw for 14 interceptions and just 10 touchdowns.

What the Raiders are gambling on is that the Schaub that will arrive in Oakland will more closely resemble the guy who played at a near-elite level for six seasons in Houston as opposed to the player who struggled so much last season.

Schaub was a third-round pick of the Falcons out of Virginia in 2004 and spent three seasons as Michael Vick’s backup before he was traded to the Texans in the spring of 2007.

Meanwhile, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle, the club is apparently happy with developing McGloin as a backup:

McGloin went undrafted out of Penn State last year, but made the Raiders 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent. He started six games and threw for 1,547 yards and eight touchdowns with eight interceptions, completing 55.9 percent of his throws.

Pryor was the Raiders starter going into 2013, but lost the job to McGloin after missing time with a sprained knee. In nine starts and two relief appearances, Pryor threw for 1,798 yards and seven touchdowns, but was intercepted 11 times while completing 57.4 percent of his attempts. He also ran for 576 yards and two scores, including a 93-yard touchdown run against the Steelers that was the longest run in NFL history by a quarterback. Oakland selected Pryor in a supplemental draft in 2011 after he was ruled ineligible at Ohio State. The selection cost the Raiders a third-round pick in the 2012 draft.

Edwards started 32 games for the Bills from 2007-10 after Buffalo took him in the third round out of Stanford in the 2007 draft. He later spent time with Jacksonville and Philadelphia and last played in an NFL game with the Eagles in December 2012.