Had the Las Vegas Raiders been able to land a quarterback in last year’s draft, the franchise could be in a very different place. Head coach Antonio Pierce and general manager Tom Telesco both got fired after one season, and a big reason for that was due to bad quarterback play from Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell.
The team was heavily linked to quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, but six of them were selected before the Raiders picked at No. 13. The one quarterback who was considered a realistic option for Las Vegas was former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
The team never had a chance to draft him, as the Atlanta Falcons surprisingly took him with the No. 8 pick. However, it sounds like the Raiders weren’t planning to take him if he fell to No. 13.
Telesco has been quiet since Las Vegas decided to fire him earlier in the year, but he addressed the Penix talk.
“We did a lot of work and talked a lot about [drafting Penix], but in the end, probably not,” Telesco said on the “Check the Mic” podcast. “Now, looking back, if I knew I only had one year there, maybe that would’ve been different.”
Telesco went on to explain that the reason he wasn’t eager to take a quarterback like Penix was because he felt the Raiders needed a lot of work on the roster before they went all-in on a quarterback. The team ended up with tight Brock Bowers, who was an All-Pro as a rookie, so it worked out for them.
Telesco Was Considering Bo Nix
Telesco wasn’t on board with the idea of taking Penix in the first round, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have considered other quarterbacks. According to Telesco, he was more open to the idea of selecting former Oregon quarterback Bo Nix.
“Bo Nix would’ve been a good possibility [at 13],” Telesco said.
Nix got selected by the Denver Broncos one spot before the Raiders picked, so it’s unclear if the team would’ve still taken Bowers if both were still on the board. Nix had an impressive rookie season and led Denver to the playoffs, but it’s hard to imagine he would’ve had the same success in Las Vegas with a much weaker offensive coaching staff.
Raiders May Be Better off in the Long Run
The jury is still out on whether Penix or Nix will be high-level quarterbacks. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye would’ve been obvious picks, but the Raiders never had a chance at them.
Thanks to the poor quarterback play last year, Las Vegas ended up with Pete Carroll at head coach and Geno Smith at quarterback. Though Smith and Carroll aren’t long-term solutions, they should help the Raiders succeed in the short term.
The good news is that the team can now be patient when it comes to finding a quarterback of the future. Smith is under contract for at least three seasons, so the Raiders could draft a quarterback next year or the year after, and they can learn behind the veteran.
