Raiders Will Be Aggressive, But Will They Land Top QB?

The Las Vegas Raiders will be buyers for a quarterback this offseason. But does that guarantee they'll land their franchise quarterback?

Oct 20, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce on the sidelines against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders are sputtering through eight games of the 2024 NFL season. 

Coach Antonio Pierce’s team is 2-6 and has lost four straight games. One of the biggest concerns for this Raiders team is how poor they have been on the offensive side of the ball. 

Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy has failed to call a respectable offense in his first season with the Silver and Black, and the Raiders’ quarterbacks have done nothing to help, either. 

The Raiders held a quarterback competition between Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell this offseason. Minshew won the competition but has not played well this season. O’Connell took the job back last week before suffering a thumb injury that landed him on injured reserve.

Therefore, the Raiders must find their next franchise signal-caller this offseason. Many Raiders fans are already ready to move on from this season and think about the future, so quarterback is heavy on the minds of those in Raider Nation. 

The Raiders should be aggressive in their search for a quarterback this offseason, whether they feel they are a quarterback away from truly competing in the AFC or want to hit the reset button and begin a rebuild. 

If the season ended today, Las Vegas would hold the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Would this be a good spot for the Raiders to land a future franchise quarterback?

Not necessarily.

Only a few quarterbacks in the upcoming draft class would be worth selecting early, and depending on who lands the top pick, the next crop of gunslingers may not be worth the seventh pick. 

A lot will still have to happen for the Raiders this season to ensure they select a quarterback early in the draft. The current crop of NFL Draft quarterbacks entering the league next year each have their flaws. 

Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders has maturity issues. Miami’s Cam Ward struggles to navigate the pocket at times. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier does not have elite physical tools. Do the Raiders trust any of these players to be their next franchise quarterback? 

If the Raiders do not select a quarterback in the first round, they could opt to take one later as a developmental project. Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke and Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel come to mind as potential options in that regard.

There may not be a quarterback who separates himself in this draft class as good enough to join the Silver and Black, which would certainly disappoint Raiders fans. 

However, there is still much time until April, so it should be interesting to see how these college quarterbacks close their seasons.

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