Getty Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce.
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to be in the market for a quarterback this offseason and there could be a number of options on the table. Possibly the most costly option would be to trade up in the draft to land one of the top prospects.
That would mean the team would have to trade valuable players or draft picks. However, it’s looking like that could be a real possibility. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has his eyes on former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels.
“The Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) might be a team to watch,” Fowler wrote in a February 3 column. “New coach Antonio Pierce is a big fan of Daniels from their days together at Arizona State, and word is that Pierce evaluated offensive coordinators with the loose possibility of Daniels in mind.”
Pierce was Daniels’ recruiting coordinator at Arizona State before both of them left the program. The quarterback just won the Heisman Trophy after scoring 50 combined touchdowns for LSU in 2023. He has strong ties to Pierce and even attended the Raiders’ Week 18 team against the Denver Broncos. While it seems like a pairing that would make sense, Las Vegas isn’t guaranteed to get the exciting quarterback.
Jayden Daniels Expected to Be Top-3 Pick
The Raiders currently hold the No. 13 in the 2024 NFL Draft and Jayden Daniels isn’t expected to last past the third pick. ESPN’s Matt Miller projects Daniels to get selected at No. 3 by the New England Patriots while NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein sees him going No. 2 to the Washington Commanders.
“The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Daniels has elite open-field speed and vision as a runner, and he’s the best deep-ball passer in the draft class,” Millers wrote in a February 5 mock draft. “He threw 40 touchdown passes in 2023, and an FBS-leading 22 of them were on throws of more than 20 air yards. Daniels was the most improved player in college football after dedicating himself to playing better within the pocket, and his draft stock has soared from Day 3 to here.”
The Patriots and Commanders have needs at quarterback that are just as big as the Raiders’ need. It’s unlikely either team is willing to trade down. Las Vegas’ only hopes would be either the Chicago Bears decide to keep Justin Fields and trade the No. 1 pick or that Daniels refuses to play for any other team, which is highly unlikely.
The Jayden Daniels experience summed up in one play:
Make a defender look foolish in the open field followed by taking a hit that you think they’ll need a shovel to peel him off the turf on
Daniels is electric, he has to learn to protect himself
2nd play is an absolute dot 🎯
What Will Las Vegas Raiders Do at QB?
Jayden Daniels is the obvious fit with the Raiders out of all the quarterbacks due to his ties to Antonio Pierce. It’s looking like a long shot that they’ll be able to land him so they’ll have to consider all their options.
In the aforementioned mock draft from Matt Miller, he projects the Raiders to stay at No. 13 and select former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. That would be an option but it’s unclear how Pierce feels about the quarterback.
If the Raiders don’t like their options, they could consider bringing in a veteran like Jacoby Brissett and having him compete with Aidan O’Connell for the starting job. The team will eventually need to find a long-term quarterback of the future but it could be difficult to make that happen this offseason.