After the failed Jimmy Garoppolo experiment, the Las Vegas Raiders chose to ride out the 2023 NFL season with rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell under center, who made an impression on his teammates, namely superstar wide receiver Davante Adams and head coach Antonio Pierce.
Along with Adams and Pierce, O’Connell won over many people within the Raiders organization, both on the field and in the front office. However, after parting ways with Garoppolo, the team brought in a veteran in NFL free agency this offseason, as the team signed Pro Bowler Gardner Minshew.
Despite the arrival of Minshew, who is coming off a solid season with the Indianapolis Colts, the consensus seems to be that O’Connell might be the starter. There will be an open competition during training camp next month, with the young quarterback already seemingly having the edge.
The quarterback situation in Las Vegas seems somewhat promising right now, but few believe it is a long-term plan. That said, Mike Tannenbaum, former NFL general manager turned insider, thinks Raiders team owner Mark Davis needs to offer a “blank check” to Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott if he becomes available via ESPN’s Get Up.
“If I’m Mark Davis … I have a countdown clock in my office, and that plane is fueled and ready to go,” Tannenbaum said. “And I’m giving Dak Prescott a blank check to go with Brock Bowers and Davante Adams.”
At this point in time, there’s no telling what the future holds for Prescott in Dallas, as it has been rumored he’ll potentially reset the quarterback market in the near future by re-signing with the Cowboys.
However, no deal between the two sides was agreed upon, and all signs point to him playing out the upcoming 2024 campaign and revisiting contract talks in a year, with the Cowboys supposedly fully intent on keeping him.
In the event the Cowboys and Prescott don’t see eye-to-eye on a new deal, he’ll likely have his fair share of suitors on the open market, with the Cowboys being one of them if Minshew and or O’Connell don’t work out.
Even though Prescott has been great in the regular season for the Cowboys, he hasn’t been able to carry that success to the NFL playoffs, as Dallas tends to flame out early every single year, including this past season when they lost to the Green Bay Packers at home at AT&T Stadium in the first round.
That said, it would be a considerable risk to bring Prescott in if the team’s goal is to win championships. He’ll come at a high price, and there’s no guarantee he’ll live up to expectations and take the Raiders franchise where it wants to go.
