Raiders Urged to Keep an Eye on Dynamic 23-Year-Old QB

As long as he’s healthy, Jimmy Garoppolo will be the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders this season. However, it remains to be seen if he’s the long-term plan for the team. They could cut him after the 2023 season and have a manageable $11.25 million dead cap hit, per Spotrac.

The Raiders may decide to keep him longer than this season if he plays well and stays healthy, but they will need to eventually find a long-term option. Next year could be the year that happens. Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus wrote in a June 28 column that the Raiders need to keep an eye on Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.

“Assuming Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy for at least most of 2023, the Raiders shouldn’t be bad enough to be in the Caleb Williams/Drake Maye sweepstakes. They do, however, still need to find a long-term solution at quarterback,” Wasserman wrote.

“Michael Penix Jr. is currently QB3 on PFF’s 2024 big board. Penix Jr. showed flashes of his talent at Indiana but endured terrible injury luck. His first season in Washington was a rousing success, leading the Power Five in passing yards and ranking 10th in passing grade among qualified FBS quarterbacks. Penix Jr. could be a Heisman finalist and a top-20 pick in next year’s draft. The Raiders will be watching him closely.”

Michael Penix Jr. Compares Favorably to Top QBs

USC’s Caleb Williams and UNC’s Drake Maye are the consensus top-two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class. There’s still a whole college football season that needs to be played so it remains to be seen if it’ll stay that way. Regardless, it’s looking like Michael Penix Jr. may be the third quarterback to go off the board next year.

Former NFL head coach Marc Trestman analyzed Penix for The 33rd Team on May 26 and came away impressed with what the quarter can do on the field.

“Penix has not been projected to go as high as Williams and Maye because of injury concerns and advanced age (he’ll begin his NFL career at 24),” Trestman wrote. “On the field, he is unquestionably on the same tier as those players and should be treated as such.”

Last year was the first time Penix played a whole season without missing a game due to injury. Considering the Raiders already have an injury-prone Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster, they will need to be mindful of the injury history of any quarterback they draft. If Penix can make it through the upcoming college football season healthy, that could be very good for draft stock.

Las Vegas Raiders Projected to Have Top-10 Pick

Expectations aren’t high for the Raiders heading into the 2023 season. They are coming off of a 6-11 season and are undergoing a change at quarterback. That’s not to mention that star tight end Darren Waller is now with the New York Giants. The Raiders could be in a position to draft a quarterback next year.

On May 23, ESPN went through and projected where every team will be picking in next year’s draft. They projected the Raiders to have the ninth pick with a 41.0% chance of picking in the top 10. The ninth pick won’t be high enough to land Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, but it could put them in a position to draft Michael Penix Jr. if he’s still high on draft boards next year.