Getty LSU QB Jayden Daniels.
Regardless of who the Las Vegas Raiders head coach is next season, the first order of business will be to figure out the quarterback position. If Antonio Pierce lands the full-time job, there’s one obvious option to keep an eye on.
LSU quarterback and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels had Pierce as his recruiting coordinator when they were both at Arizona State. Despite both of them moving on from the program, the two have remained close. In fact, Daniels decided to attend the Raiders’ Week 18 matchup against the Denver Broncos, per a January 7 X post from The Athletic’s Vic Tafur.
It’s not often a top prospect will attend a regular season NFL game that doesn’t have any playoff implications. It goes to show how much respect Daniels has for Pierce. The 23-year-old quarterback is expected to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the 2024 NFL Draft so expect the Raiders to be heavily linked to him this offseason.
Las Vegas Raiders-Jayden Daniels Speculation Stirs
Considering the uniqueness of Jayden Daniels being in the Raiders locker room after a win, speculation about him wanting to be in Las Vegas is already starting to stir with multiple fans on X linking the quarterback to the team.
Jayden Daniels in the locker room after the game says everything about if AP remains the guy who our QB1 will be next season #RaiderNation
Fans are expecting Daniels to be with the Raiders if Antonio Pierce is retained.
@VicTafur Future Raider inshAllah
The problem for the Raiders is that there’s a good chance Daniels is a top-five draft pick. Las Vegas is going to have the 13th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, per Tankathon, which would likely put them out of range to draft the quarterback unless they trade up.
I dont think Jayden Daniels falls to #13 in the draft. Raiders will likely have to trade up to get him.
The Arizona Cardinals at No. 4 is an interesting team to keep an eye on at No. 4 as they are expected to stick with quarterback Kyler Murray going forward.
@VicTafur Trade with Arizona to get Jayden at 4
If Daniels is the quarterback the Raiders want, they’ll likely have to give up a haul to get him. Pierce knows the quarterback well so he’ll know if it’s worth the price to add him.
Jayden Daniels Ranked as QB3
Heading into the 2023 college football season, most of the quarterback hype was surrounding USC’s Caleb Williams and UNC’s Drake Maye. There was perhaps no quarterback who helped their draft stock more this season than Jayden Daniels.
He threw for 40 touchdowns and rushed for another 10 en route to his Heisman Trophy win. Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema has him ranked as the third-best quarterback in the draft class.
“Daniels is a good dual-threat quarterback who has a ton of yards from scrimmage,” Sikkema wrote in a December 20 column. “Last year, he focused on taking care of the ball and had one of the lowest turnover-worthy play rates in the nation. This year, he’s focused on playing better under pressure while pushing the ball downfield more often — and he’s done both at career-high levels. His growth in all areas is encouraging and shows that he could be a QB to invest in.”
There are a lot of teams that need quarterbacks this year so the Raiders have their work cut out for them. It seems as if Daniels would prefer the Raiders if they retain Pierce but he has little say over the matter.