The odds look good of quarterback Jeff Garcia signing with the Raiders " perhaps as soon as Monday.

Other media outlets have previously reported that Garcia, a Gilroy native, and the Raiders have been talking contract. The negotiations are real, and a source with knowledge of them told me today that nothing has been signed, but all evidence points to Garcia joining the team as a backup to starter JaMarcus Russell.

"They've got their quarterback (in Russell), but he'll bring something to that team " in terms of attitude, working, being on top of things," the source said.

Garcia has become a literal and figurative journeyman, playing for five NFL teams over the past six years. He signed on with most of those teams as a backup, but more often than not wound up starting a significant portion of games.

And make no mistake, the guy can still play at the age of 39. He has posted a passer rating of 90 or better in each of the past three seasons. Last year with Tampa Bay, Garcia completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,712 yards and 12 touchdowns, with six interceptions, for a rating of 90.2. He was 6-5 as a starter.

Ironically, his most recent game was a 31-24 upset loss to the Raiders in Tampa Bay.

Garcia would seem to be an upgrade over Andrew Walter, though he seems like an odd fit in Tom Cable's system. Garcia would have been ideal in Lane Kiffin's West Coast, dink-and-dunk offense. Cable likes to go downfield more often, and Walter has the stronger arm.

I'm also not completely clear on how Garcia might do as a mentor to Russell. Certainly, he is generally perceived (by anyone not named Terrell Owens) as a hard-working teammate and inspiring leader. But Garcia, written off numerous times as an NFL-caliber QB, has always carried a medium-sized chip on his shoulder. Is he at an age where he'd be comfortable holding a clipboard and pointing out coverage nuances to the Raiders' golden child?

We may soon find out.