Struggling AFC team surprisingly named a potential suitor for Daniel Jones

The Daniel Jones era in East Rutherford came to an end ahead of Week 12.

The New York Giants had announced that Tommy DeVito would be taking Jones' spot as the team's starting quarterback for their matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before ultimately releasing Jones.

That move made Jones one of the NFL's most interesting free agents as a six-year starter at quarterback. Despite his struggles this season, he is expected to attract some interest on the open market.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler surprisingly named the Las Vegas Raiders as one of the teams who could potentially be a suitor for Jones. Among the teams that have been brought up as potential landing spots for "Danny Dimes", the Raiders are one of the stranger fits.

Yes, their quarterback situation is a mess right now. 

Gardner Minshew has been bad this season. He has struggled to move the ball and has only thrown eight touchdowns while being intercepted nine times. He was benched earlier in the year for Aidan O'Connell and only got the job back after O'Connell was injured. He was benched again during a Week 9 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Raiders decided not to stick with Desmond Ridder after that game. The struggling quarterback then suffered a season-ending injury in Week 12.

Jones would be an upgrade for the Raiders, but getting that upgrade doesn't serve much of a purpose for them right now. At 2-8 the Raiders are well outside of the playoff picture. However, they are very much in the race for the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

With a desperate need for a franchise QB, there is no reason to bring in a rental QB while the No. 1 pick is still in play.

If Jones succeeds, it could cost the Raiders precious positioning in the draft and without any real upside. We saw enough of him with the Giants to know he isn't the franchise QB the Raiders are on the hunt for.

It's also not a great situation for Jones. The Raiders already traded away their best receiver, their run game is awful and they've allowed more sacks this season than the Giants.

The Raiders would be his best chance to start again right away, but that might not necessarily be what's best for his career if he's not going to be put in a position to succeed.

Fowler's article also mentioned the San Francisco 49ers, and that's the type of team that could make more sense for Jones. A contender in need of a backup QB would give the former Giants QB a better chance to succeed if he were to end up being called upon.

There are better fits out there for Jones than the Raiders, and the Raiders should just be embracing the tank the rest of the season.