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Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler recently came out and suggested that the team isn’t looking for a short-term solution at quarterback. If that’s true, that will rule out the team making a trade for Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, it wouldn’t completely deter them from making a trade for a young quarterback.
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones took a big step back in his second season following Josh McDaniels getting the Raiders head coaching job. As a rookie under the coach, he was named to the Pro Bowl. Things could be souring in New England after a rough year and Las Vegas needs a quarterback. Despite Jones’ status as a Pro Bowler and former first-round pick, the Patriots could expect to get a good return from him in a trade but his rough 2022 and lack of upside should keep the price reasonable. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report outlined a “dream” scenario where the Raiders trade for Jones:
In a dream scenario, the Raiders could acquire Jones without surrendering the seventh overall pick—perhaps by offering a few second-rounders or a future first-rounder. That would allow the Raiders to still land a blue-chip prospect in the 2023 draft while replacing Carr with a quarterback who has already proved he can play at a Pro Bowl level.
The fact that Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels was Jones’ offensive coordinator during the 2021 season can’t be overlooked, either. McDaniels knows that he can win with Jones, and while a trade for the 24-year-old might not be as spicy as a Rodgers deal, it would be a much better play for the Raiders long-term.
Insider Says Patriots Won’t Trade Jones
Trading for Jones wouldn’t be a “dream” scenario for many Raiders fans. He has limited arm talent and athletic ability. He had success under McDaniels but wasn’t a top-10 quarterback as a rookie and that was likely his ceiling. Plus, the Patriots might not actually be keen on trading Jones. Bill Belichick doesn’t appear to be too attached to the quarterback but owner Robert Kraft is starting to exercise some power over the legendary coach. Patriots insider Tom Curran appeared on a February 22 episode of the “Rich Eisen Show” and shut down the notion that the team is going to trade Jones.
“Absolutely, positively not,” Curran told Eisen about a possible Patriots quarterback change.
“That would happen over Robert Kraft’s dead body. We’ll talk about that in 2024 if it’s another mediocre season, but this notion that the Patriots would move on from Mac Jones. … I think that if he went up to Robert Kraft and said ‘I’m thinking about moving on from Mac here.’ I think Robert Kraft would say ‘Are you out of your mind? He was a good player last year, he’s a bad player now … you want to move on?’”
Will Raiders Find Franchise QB in 2023?
The decision to bench and then release Derek Carr could loom large over the Raiders for the next few years. He had many faults but he brought stability to the game’s most important position for nine seasons. He never got Las Vegas over the hump but he was never the biggest problem.
Finding elite franchise quarterbacks isn’t easy. There are less than 10 across the entire league right now. It’s very possible the Raiders aren’t able to find their long-term replacement this offseason.
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