The Las Vegas Raiders need help at the quarterback position.
The need was apparent throughout last offseason, but the six top prospects at quarterback were all taken in the draft before the Raiders were on the clock with the 13th pick. As a result, the team has had to navigate the season with Gardner Minshew and Aiden O’Connell, with a cameo appearance from Desmond Ridder. With the struggles coming from the quarterback room thus far, the need has only been further amplified.
If the Raiders are still open for business this season and want to look for another option, one has recently become available.
Daniel Jones has had quite a tumultuous week. He was officially benched by the New York Giants on Monday, was seen taking reps as a scout team safety during team practices, and was finally released after requesting one during a meeting with team president John Mara.
While Jones saw his tenure with the Giants end on a sour note, the sixth overall pick in 2019 is being highlighted as a fit for the Raiders.
“With former star Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce as the coach, he might want to take a look at what Jones can potentially do for the team next season as a low-risk audition in the new offense,” said Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News.
While both Minshew and O’Connell are still under contract through next season, bringing Jones in to compete for a roster spot makes sense. He can serve many roles for the Raiders, ranging from a veteran backup and spot starter to a steady option to start the 2025 season so they won’t have to rush a rookie quarterback.
Whether or not Jones is a fit for the Raiders, will be the organization’s decision and their timeline.
“Look at the Las Vegas Raiders, that’s clearly a fit because they need help at the position, and Frederick Walker, one of their quarterback coaches, did work exclusively with Daniel Jones as his quarterback coach at Duke where they had success, so they could bring it back there,” said ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Having someone on the coaching staff with clear knowledge of Jones’s abilities and what style of offense he best fits is certainly a leg up for the Raiders. Prior to being drafted, Jones was a star for the Duke Blue Devils He threw for 2,674 yards and 22 touchdowns in his junior year in 2018.
While success has been difficult to come by for Jones at the NFL level, there have still been signs of a decent quarterback. Take his 2022 season, for example, when he threw for 3,205 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also adding 708 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Jones also took the Giants to the Divisional Round that year, with the team’s Wild Card victory over the Minnesota Vikings; their first since 2011.
NFL teams have seen how good Sam Darnold and Geno Smith have been in new environments. The Raiders could do far worse than taking a similar gamble on Jones.
