The Las Vegas Raiders are not slated to pick until No. 13 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. It’s not a great situation for new general manager Tom Telesco to be in given Las Vegas’ need for a franchise quarterback.
With Telesco and recently-promoted full-time head coach Antonio Pierce likely sharing in the decision-making duties, it will be interesting to see in what direction the Raiders go.
Jimmy Garoppolo started this past season as the Raiders’ QB1. He lasted all of six starts before being benched in favor of rookie mid-round pick Aidan O’Connell. The latter did not impress as much as Vegas would have liked. Given that the Raiders’ former brass made the decision to add these two last offseason, we expect Telesco and Pierce to start anew at quarterback.
A new report indicates that the Raiders could make a dramatic move up the draft to add that potential franchise quarterback.
Related: Why Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy is a concerning hire
Las Vegas Raiders eyeing Jayden Daniels in 2024 NFL Draft
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is extremely high on former LSU quarterback and reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. He also notes that there is a good chance Vegas will entertain the possibility of moving up to No. 3 overall with the New England Patriots to guarantee landing him.
USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye are expected to be the first two players off the board in the draft. This could lead to quarterbacks going with the top-three picks in a draft that is seen as strong at that position.
Meanwhile, the Patriots are said to be willing to entertain offers for the third selection. The two sides could make sense as trade partners.
The issue here is pretty obvious. Vegas just officially hired former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy in the same role. He struggled developing another dual-threat signal caller in that of Justin Fields in Chicago before being fired. Does Getsy’s offense fit a quarterback of that ilk?
- Jayden Daniels stats (2023): 72.2% completion, 3,812 passing yards, 1,134 rushing yards, 50 total TD, 4 INT
Sure, Daniels was more accurate last season than what we saw from Fields at Ohio State before he made the transition to the NFL. But the styles are somewhat similar. Perhaps, the Raiders would be better off with a traditional dropback quarterback.
What we do know is that the Raiders have a big decision to make at quarterback. They have already been linked to veteran Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. Star Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams also has had nothing but great things to say about impending Minnesota Vikings free agent Kirk Cousins.
The question is whether the Raiders are willing to kick their long-term quarterback situation down the road in favor of another stopgap option after the failed Garoppolo experiment.
Regardless, this is going to be a major storyline to follow during the NFL offseason.