Uncertainty reigns supreme when it comes to the Las Vegas Raiders’ future at quarterback, especially after signing Gardner Minshew early in free agency, but without a long-term potion at the position beyond the 2024 season.
However, as the NFL Draft looms large at the end of this month, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce made a strong statement on the team’s plans.
“I think everything is on the table,” Pierce told reporters during the NFL Annual Meeting.
Could the Las Vegas Raiders Trade Up For a Quarterback?
The Raiders need to solidify the future at quarterback, both from long-term sustainability of the franchise, as well as to give Pierce a major piece to build around in his first full season as head coach.
“Whatever makes the Raiders better,” Pierce told reporters, via ESPN. “I’m all for. And when I say I’m a go-getter, [that means] whatever it takes to win, whatever it takes to get the best player to make our team the best, that’s what I want to do, and that’s what I’d like to see us do.
“Tom Telesco has a lot more experience in the draft than myself. I’m going to lean on him and his expertise on what we should do. And if it’s the right fit and that guy there that we want is a Raider, and he fits the Raider culture in our way, then we’ll go get him.”
According to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez, Raiders owner Mark Davis has given his blessing for Telesco and Pierce to make a move, any move … so long as it makes sense.
How high the Raiders need to climb to get a quarterback might dictate the price Davis is willing to pay.
Who Might the Raiders be Able to Trade Up With?
If Pierce and the Raiders have sights on the likes of Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, or even Michigan’s surging quarterback prospect J.J. McCarthy, Las Vegas may need to climb all the way to the No. 3 overall pick, and there’s no guarantee the Patriots will move back.
Las Vegas owns the No. 13 overall pick in this year’s class, and if they hope to upgrade a quarterback room that includes Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, the franchise may need to part with their first-round pick this year as well as at least a selection in the first round of the 2025 draft, as well.
The reality is, the Raiders are just one of many teams potentially storming the gates to trade up, alongside the likes of the Minnesota Vikings and potentially the New York Giants who are better positioned from a draft capital standpoint than Las Vegas currently finds itself.
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