The Las Vegas Raiders are without a doubt kicking themselves right for letting Derek Carr leave in the offseason. While Derek Carr may not have been Peyton Manning, he was an above average quarterback that set a probable floor for Las Vegas at a 0.500 record. After the firing of McDaniels and former Tom Brady acolyte Jimmy Garoppolo losing favor with the fans and ownership, the team will be tested in figuring out what to do at the end of the season.
Options at Quarterback for the Raiders
Given how poorly Las Vegas is finishing the season, it is entirely possible that the Raiders will be looking at a top-10 draft pick. While it is most likely that generational talent Caleb Williams will be off the board by then, the Raiders could easily trade up to select University of North Carolina Quarterback Drake Maye. Maye has been compared admirable to former first overall pick Carson Palmer with elite arm talent and would pair well with elite wide receiver Devonte Adams.
While it would be a terrific fit for Las Vegas to bring in Maye, the team has historically been hesitant to draft quarterbacks in the first round. The franchise has only selected three quarterbacks in the first round since 1970 with the last one being infamous flop Jamarcus Russell. I would say that if the last quarterback I selected went as poorly as Russell, I might be hesitant to draft a quarterback as well.
Free agent opportunities
The most likely alternative that the Raiders will take is look for a stopgap quarterback on the open market. Teams like the Indianapolis Colts that drafted their quarterbacks of the future but have tremendous backups might be willing to trade their failsafe. Given that Gardner Minshew is close to leading a talentless Colts team to the playoffs, Minshew should be able to perform well with Las Vegas.
The Raiders could also look into starting a throwaway player such as Trey Lance. Lance may not have made a mark in this league as a castaway from the San Francisco 49ers but with a talented offense around him, he might be able to make a legitimate impact in the NFL. Without McDaniels alienating half the roster, the Raiders could look into mending fences with talented slot receiver Hunter Renfrow. The talent on the Las Vegas roster could make some more talented quarterbacks think about leaving their meager surroundings as well.
Raiders biggest worry
While quarterback is an absolute mess for Las Vegas, the biggest concern for this team is the fact that their only real offensive weapon looks like he is eager to leave the team. All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs has been the focal point of the offense since the team drafted him in the first round since 2019. If Jacobs really wants out of the organization, Las Vegas will need to figure out how to reload on talent on the offensive side of the ball.
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