Raiders Floated as Trade Destination for Former Pro Bowler if Current QBs Flop

Getty Jacksonville Jaguars QB Mac Jones.

The Las Vegas Raiders committed to Gardner Minshew to be the Week 1 starter but the team won’t hesitate to bench him for Aidan O’Connell if he struggles. However, there’s a reason Minshew beat out the second-year quarterback so it’s possible he might not be good to start.

If that happens, the Raiders have limited options. They can either accept their situation or try to add another quarterback before the November 5 trade deadline. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report floated the idea of Las Vegas trading for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones if both Minshew and O’Connell aren’t up to snuff.

“The Las Vegas Raiders could consider adding Jones if the Gardner Minshew II experiment doesn’t work and the team doesn’t love the long-term prospects of Aidan O’Connell,” Knox wrote in a September 4 column.

Jones had a strong start to his career as he made a Pro Bowl and led the New England Patriots to the playoffs as a rookie. However, the last two seasons were rough as he had 24 combined touchdown passes to 23 interceptions while going 8-17 as a starter. Jones is a former first-round pick and it’s possible he can return to rookie form. The Raiders certainly have better offensive weapons than the Patriots did the last two seasons.

Would Mac Jones Be an Upgrade?

A big thing that Jones has over Minshew and O’Connell is that he’s a former first-round pick. The talent is there for him to be a starting quarterback but he had three different offensive coordinators in three seasons with the Patriots.

That said, Jones would’ve made more sense when Josh McDaniels was still the Raiders’ head coach. He had his best season when McDaniels was the playcaller in New England. At this point, it’s difficult to know if Jones would be an upgrade over what the Raiders already have.

The Jaguars only gave up a sixth-round pick to get him in a trade this offseason so the asking price shouldn’t be high if the Raiders called about Jones.

Christian Wilkins Praises Gardner Minshew

Minshew isn’t likely to finish the season as a top-10 quarterback but he has played well in the past. He started 13 games for the Indianapolis Colts last season and went 7-6 while throwing 15 touchdowns to nine interceptions.

New defensive tackle Christian Wilkins joined the Raiders around the same time Minshew did and he’s been very impressed with the veteran quarterback.

“What’s that word the kids say now? Aura? Yeah, Gardner’s definitely got some aura,” Wilkins said during a September 4 press conference. “I love that dude. He’s a lot of fun to be around. Me and him go way back to college and we were drafted in the same year. So, I definitely got a lot of respect for Gardner. He’s definitely got an infectious personality and all that good stuff. He’s always coming in every day with a smile, great energy, and is always ready to work, so that’s definitely something that we can all get behind as a team and that we all see.”

Minshew likely isn’t a long-term option at the position but he should be good enough for the team to hold off adding a quarterback like Jones during the season.