The Raiders’ 2024 season has made one thing very clear: one way or another, Las Vegas needs a new quarterback next year.
Their quest to find a new signal-caller may have taken a hit in Week 16, as the Raiders’ victory over the Jaguars dropped them from second to sixth in the projected order for the 2025 NFL Draft.
While Las Vegas will take a hard look at any quarterback available in free agency, the team is expected to draft a quarterback in the first round at the direction of owner Mark Davis, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. But with up to three other teams in the first five picks targeting quarterbacks – including the Giants, the Titans, and even the Browns – the Raiders’ front office may have to get aggressive to fulfill Davis’ mandate.
Only Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedur Sanders are currently viewed as surefire first-round quarterback prospects, but that view may not be shared by new Raiders minority owner Tom Brady. He is expected to play a major role in the team’s personnel decisions and will surely have strong opinions about the available quarterback talent. That could expand Las Vegas’ search beyond Ward and Sanders or narrow it down to just one of the two. If it’s the former, staying at the sixth overall pick could still net the Raiders their desired prospect. If it’s the latter, trading up in the draft becomes an expensive necessity.
The Raiders will also have to decide on the futures of head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco, which will impact their quarterback plans. Even if one or both are retained, they’ll be on the hot seat next season. Waiting until the 2026 draft won’t be an option if they want to keep their jobs, further incentivizing a first-round quarterback selection next April.
The Raiders play the Saints in Week 17 before hosting the Chargers in Week 18. Pierce insisted on Monday that the Raiders don’t play “for anybody’s draft projections,” per Breer, but Davis, Telesco, and Brady could see it differently.
Franchise trajectories have been altered by late-season wins and losses, including a memorable Week 18 win by the Texans in 2022. That gave the Bears the No. 1 overall pick, kicking off a chain of events that resulted in Bryce Young going to Carolina in 2023 and Caleb Williams landing in Chicago a year later.
This article first appeared on Pro Football Rumors and was syndicated with permission.
