NFL Draft 2024 Rumors: Raiders, Giants Spoke to Teams About Trading Up for QB

Tyler Conway@@jtylerconwayFeatured Columnist IVMarch 4, 2024

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The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants are reportedly exploring a trade up for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported the teams were “asking around” throughout the NFL combine week.

Las Vegas has been regularly pegged among the teams most likely to trade up if a top-three pick becomes available. Raiders coach Antonio Pierce had a direct hand in recruiting Jayden Daniels and had a strong relationship with the quarterback while both were at Arizona State. Daniels transferred for his final two collegiate seasons and found superstardom at LSU.

The Giants have a mess of their own creation at quarterback after lavishing Daniel Jones with a four-year, $160 million contract last offseason. Jones is set to count for $47.1 million of the Giants’ cap in 2024, and the team will almost certainly eat that number in order to avoid pushing any more dead cap into the future.

The Giants can get out from under Jones’ contract next offseason but will have to pay a $22.1 million dead-cap charge.

Whether it’s ultimately feasible for either the Giants or Raiders to move up is another question entirely. Las Vegas would have to mortgage at least its 2025 and 2026 first-round picks to move up from No. 13 into the top three, and that’s likely just the starting point.

The Giants could have the NFL’s worst skill-position group next season if running back Saquon Barkley leaves in free agency. It’s hard to envision any quarterback thriving in that environment.