The 2024 season hasn’t officially started yet, but the Las Vegas Raiders have already made some critical mistakes. Let’s break down everything the Raiders have done wrong so far!
#5 Losing Joshua Jacobs in free agency
Joshua Jacobs was the NFL’s leading rusher but never got the respect he deserved from the Las Vegas Raiders. This became evident when they decided not to pick up his fifth-year option, making him a free agent by 2024.
Las Vegas then added salt to the wound by signing him to a one-year, $10 million franchise tag contract that didn’t seem reasonable. Jacobs eventually chose the Packers over the Raiders and ended his time with the team that drafted him. While Zamir White has earned more snaps after his stellar performance, it would have made sense to keep Jacobs. Letting him go after a contract holdout is just in bad taste.
#4 Drafting Brock Bowers in the first round of the NFL draft
The Las Vegas Raiders are prone to mistakes, and 2024 is no different. This time it was selecting a player in the draft at arguably their best position. Brock Browers ultimately got chosen by the Raiders with the 13th overall pick, which led to an onslaught of criticism. Many are stunned that they didn’t try to trade up for a quarterback. Las Vegas could have even taken a shot on a rookie running back but instead decided on Bowers at tight end.
The move comes one year after they selected Michael Mayer with the 35th overall pick. One possible reason for this is the idea of putting reliable weapons around their inexperienced quarterback room.
#3 Signing Gardner Minshew to compete against Aidan O’Connell
Speaking of quarterbacks, a new ranking has revealed that the Las Vegas Raiders have the worst QB room in the NFL. Instead of getting a viable free agent who can lead the team during a transition period, they are relying on Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew in 2024. Minshew was drafted in 2019 by the Jaguars before getting shuffled a few times.
While Minshew showed some signs of growth during that time, he finished with a record of seven and seven in 14 starts before landing with the Philadelphia Eagles. His best season remains his 2023 campaign, where he finished with a record of 7-6. He also had 15 touchdowns to only nine interceptions. Those aren’t auspicious numbers for a guy who could be leading the team.
On the other hand, Aidan O’Connell is only in his second year and is still developing.
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#2 Not going for a quarterback in the first round of the draft
The Raiders needed a quarterback they could develop into a future prospect, and the NFL draft was the place to do that. Several rumors leading up to the draft had Las Vegas taking a quarterback to strengthen their QB room. Instead, however, they went with Brock Bowers, as we previously mentioned.
Las Vegas could have made a trade to move up in the draft. They could have offered one of the teams at the front something big to secure a pick at the top of the board. Caleb Williams, Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Michaele Penix Washington, and many others were there.
#1 Tossing money around like lunatics in free agency
The Las Vegas Raiders might have a gambling problem. Gardner Minshew is a perfect example of this after getting signed to a $25 million contract. This guy has a good chance of being a backup at best. The Raiders also just signed Brock Bowers to an $18.1 million contract. These aren’t smart decisions; the extra money should have gone elsewhere.
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