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Expectations were low for the Las Vegas Raiders offense heading into the 2024 season and they may be even lower after the team only scored 10 points in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. While the team has plenty of issues on offense, the most glaring is at quarterback.
Gardner Minshew is a career backup who earned the starting job over Aidan O’Connell this offseason. However, he’s not going to be starting long unless he drastically improves his play. According to TruMedia, via a September 11 X post from the Athletic’s Vic Tafur, Minshew only averaged 4.5 air yards per attempt, which was last in the NFL in Week 1.
Now, that’s not necessarily all his fault as he was pressured on 37.5% of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. That said, Minshew can’t be the Raiders’ long-term starting quarterback if they hope to compete in the playoffs in the future. The team will almost certainly be in the market for a quarterback in the offseason and there are a few options for them to look at.
The Rookie Route
In an ideal world, the Raiders would be able to add a top quarterback prospect they could develop for years to come in the 2025 NFL Draft. The prize of the class appears to be Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. He’s started off the college football season with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The problem with him is there’s a good chance he’ll be the No. 1 pick and if another quarterback-needy team gets that pick, the Raiders won’t have any chance to get him.
If Beck isn’t an option, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders could be interesting. He’s had a rocky start to the season as his two interceptions in two games are nearly as many as the three interceptions he threw all season last year. However, he’s got a lot of skill and could fall down the draft due to some personality concerns. If the Raiders are picking outside of the top five, Sanders might be their most realistic option.
Texas’ Quinn Ewers could also be in the mix to be a first-round pick. He’s thrown six touchdowns to one interception to start the season and was dominant in a win over the defending champion Michigan team. Ewers’ stock could keep going up but he should be another quarterback who isn’t picked in the top five.
The Veteran Route
Dak Prescott was supposed to be the biggest-name to hit free agency in the offseason but the Dallas Cowboys signed him to an extension right before the season. That makes veteran options very lackluster in the offseason.
If Sam Darnold has a big season with the Minnesota Vikings, he could be a player to bring in to compete with Minshew next season. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields could also be an option but he didn’t have much success with Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy while they were both with the Chicago Bears.
With veteran options so limited in free agency, the Raiders’ best route is to target a rookie. The team needs a player to build the offense around and stopgap options like Minshew make that difficult to do.
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