The Las Vegas Raiders have a lot of excitment surrounding their 2024 roster -- at least from the outside.
Many outside the organization have doubted the roster the Raiders assembled this offseason, mainly because of their situation at quarterback.
The common opinion is that Las Vegas doesn't have a reliable option behind center, regardless of who comes out on top in the position battle.
Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine recently included the Raiders as one of six teams he thinks should tank this upcoming season.
Ballentine believes the Raiders should already be considering finding their next franchise quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Las Vegas Raiders Insider Podcast Goes Inside What to Look for in Aidan O'Connell vs Gardner Minshew
"[G]ardner Minshew II is just a good bridge option who can help a team stick around .500 and Aidan O'Connell hasn't done enough to believe that he's the heir apparent," Ballentine wrote.
"The truth is the Raiders are still looking for a quarterback that can take the franchise to higher heights than Derek Carr did. So far, they haven't found that guy.
"Their best bet might be in the 2025 draft. The quarterback class doesn't have the same hype has the 2024 class, but there are still a few options who could build a case to be top 10 options.
"The Raiders have an impressive collection of weapons. Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers is a good core of skill players.
"But the quarterback who can take that group to the next level isn't on the roster and the 2025 draft might be their best option to find that player."
There's a couple of things that are off about this rationale.
First, the Raiders are way past having to consider tanking. They just brought in a new regime with a ton of promise, including an elite coaching staff.
On paper, they have one of the best defenses in the NFL. The offense's improvement is to be determined, but the talent is there.
Now, regarding the quarterback battle, O'Connell is very much capable of being the next great Raiders quarterback. Are we already forgetting he was the last quarterback to defeat the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs -- on their home field.
O'Connell led the Raiders to a 5-4 record when Coach Antonio Pierce took over -- three of those wins were against their division foes and a few of those losses could have very well gone the other way.
It's a little more difficult to judge Minshew's future with the Raiders, considering he's merely been a journeyman quarterback his whole career. That isn't to discredit the career he's had, though, as Minshew has done well when he's been called on to fill in.
