Adam Schefter Faces Backlash from Multiple Reporters Over Controversial Raiders Report

Last offseason, there were many rumblings that the Las Vegas Raiders wanted to draft former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels. He was recruited by former head coach Antonio Pierce at Arizona State and the two had a close relationship.

Even Daniels was hinting that he wanted to play in Las Vegas. However, the Washington Commanders held the No. 2 pick in the draft and locked in on Daniels early in the process. Despite that, there were multiple reports that said that former general manager Tom Telesco at least attempted to trade with the Commanders.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is now coming out and reporting that the Raiders never actually called Washington about a deal.

“Jayden Daniels is one of these generational quarterbacks. You’re not finding that guy in the draft this year, and you don’t even have the draft pick to do it,” Schefter said on the “Adam Schefter Podcast.”

“By the way, that’s why last year, it’s why the Raiders had such an interest in trying to see if they could trade for Jayden Daniels,” Schefter continued. “But by the way, matter of fact, they never made the call at all. They never even tried to get that trade done. A lot of speculation about it. More in the media than within the teams themselves. The Raiders never called about Jayden Daniels.”

Multiple Reporters Dispute Schefter’s Claim

Schefter is a longtime NFL reporter and is one of the most connected journalists in the NFL. However, a couple of Raiders beat writers are saying that Schefter is wrong.

“Not true,” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur said of Schefter’s comments on X. “We’ve reported all year that Raiders tried and were told Washington wasn’t dealing. That was and is accurate.”

Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal referred to Schefter’s report as “ridiculous” and “100 percent not true.”

Bonsignore and Tafur are both in the Raiders building throughout the season and should have some strong insight on the topic. It’s worth noting that Schefter did say that the Raiders were very interested in Daniels so it seems odd that they wouldn’t have at least called to see if the Commanders could be swayed to make a trade.

What Could’ve Been

Regardless of which report is accurate, the Raiders certainly missed out on a potential franchise-changing quarterback. Daniels helped get the Commanders from a 4-13 season in 2023 to 12-5 this year and won a playoff game.

He started in all 17 games and threw for 25 touchdowns with just nine interceptions while rushing for another six touchdowns. He’s likely to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year and his future is very bright.

Had the Raiders been able to trade up and get him, the franchise would look completely different. Pierce and Telesco likely keep their jobs and perhaps Las Vegas could’ve been closer to a playoff team. The Raiders may have also been able to seal the deal with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, who is calling plays for Daniels in Washington right now. Alas, the Raiders couldn’t make it happen and have one of the most dire quarterback situations in the NFL right now.