NFL Rumors: Raiders Will Explore Trade Up in 2024 NFL Draft amid Search for New QB

Andrew PetersMarch 22, 2024

Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Las Vegas Raiders will explore trading up in the 2024 NFL draft to pick a quarterback, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed.

“They’ll explore trading up in the first round, according to league sources, but there’s a chance that an intriguing option could still be available at pick No. 13 or even at pick No. 44 in the second round,” Reed wrote. “So, while bringing [Gardner] Minshew onboard provides the Raiders a safety net, it won’t stop them from trying land a highly-touted prospect in the draft.”

The exploration comes amid Las Vegas’ search for a new quarterback after uncertainty at the position in 2023. The Raiders went to rookie Aidan O’Connell for most of the season, and he notched 2,218 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Raiders recently signed quarterback Gardner Minshew, who had a solid season for the Indianapolis Colts with 3,305 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2023. While Minshew could be a good option if they decide not to take a quarterback, finding someone in the draft seems like it will be the Raiders’ first choice. Las Vegas has the No. 13 pick in the upcoming draft.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes there is an “urgency” from the Raiders’ new head coach Antonio Pierce to find a quarterback in the draft.

“The urgency is there from the head coach,” Rapoport said. “Getting a quarterback makes sense, ’cause whatever happens this year, if you get a guy, you can at least say we got a guy for the next 10 years. I don’t know where it’s going to be, and to me, it’s going to be hard to trade up, but I think they’ll give it a shot.”

Ian Rapoport @RapSheetFrom DJ’s Draft Show on NFL+: I joined @MoveTheSticks to break down how badly the #Raiders or #Broncos want to trade up for a QB. pic.twitter.com/8LGgVPNmKy

With the 13th pick, Las Vegas could get a solid quarterback option, but it would likely need to make a move to get one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. The top three quarterbacks on Bleacher Report’s Big Board, Drake Maye, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, are all projected to go in the top three by Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department.

That still leaves the Raiders with some solid options if they can’t get a top-three pick, though. Reed noted that Las Vegas could target Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon’s Bo Nix. Another option could be Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy, who is listed as the No. 4 quarterback on Bleacher Report’s Big Board.

Whatever direction the Raiders decide to go, they’re looking for the right man under center to usher in a new era in Las Vegas. The Raiders have missed the playoffs the last two seasons, but Pierce is looking to change that as he takes over as head coach.