LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Raiders enter a new era led by head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco. The Silver and Black may feature a new starting quarterback when the season kicks off in September.
With Jimmy Garoppolo expected to be cut in March, Aidan O'Connell is penciled in as the team's starting signal caller. However, with free agency and the draft nearing, reports have pointed towards Mark Davis and the Raiders being on the look-out for a new QB.
On Monday, Channel 13 sports reporter Nick Walters discussed the Raiders' options with Pro Football Talk's Myles Simmons, who previously worked in Las Vegas in 2020.
"You look at that Chiefs game where they won," Simmons said. "The defense was excellent in that game, but Aidan O'Connell wasn't completing passes at all... There’s something here with the team, and there might be something there with Aidan O'Connell down the road. But I think if you're going into 2024 and Aidan O'Connell is your top option at quarterback then you probably haven't done enough over the course of the offseason."
Solving the team's long-time quarterback troubles could come as soon as the first round of this year's NFL Draft in Detroit. The Raiders hold the 13th overall pick and are reportedly interested in trading up.
A blockbuster trade up the board into the top three picks may be unfeasible if the Bears, Commanders, and Patriots view those picks as priceless opportunities to draft their quarterback of the future.
If drafting top-ranked QB prospects in USC's Caleb Williams, UNC's Drake Maye, and LSU's Jayden Daniels isn't in the cards for Las Vegas, it still could be smart to jump other teams in need of a signal caller. Other options include Michigan's JJ McCarthy, Oregon's Bo Nix, and Washington's Michael Penix Jr.
"I don't think Caleb Williams or Drake Maye will fall very fall in this draft," Simmons said. "I also don't think those teams at the top are inclined to move out. If you could get up to, let's call it 5 to 10, and you can avoid some of the other teams that might be lurking around there, those might be more realistic options."
The Raiders could eye a big-name impending free agent like the Vikings' Kirk Cousins and the Bucs' Baker Mayfield, or target the Bears' Justin Fields via a trade. The electric but inconsistent dual-threat QB has played under now-Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and is expected to be on the trade block if Chicago opts to draft a QB with their first overall pick.
“Whether it’s the Raiders, and Luke Getsy can give them as good of a scouting report as anybody in the league because he’s been around Justin Fields for the last couple years," Simmons said. Whether it’s the Atlanta Falcons, whether it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think Fields will be elsewhere in 2024.”
The NFL draft combine begins on Monday, February 6, free agency begins on the first day of the league year on March 13, and the NFL Draft begins on April 25.
