The Raiders are hoping to build on last season’s strong play under Antonio Pierce, but is the quarterback situation good enough to make noise in the AFC? If you like the analysis here, consider signing up for our free newsletter to get can’t-miss NFL news and insights straight to your inbox every week.
- 2023 finish: 8-9 (second in AFC West); missed playoffs
- Over/under: 6.5 wins
Notable additions
QB Gardner Minshew II, QB Nathan Peterman, RB Alexander Mattison, WR Jalen Guyton, WR Dax Milne, TE Harrison Bryant, OL Andrus Peat, G Cody Whitehair, DT Christian Wilkins, GM Tom Telesco, OC Luke Getsy
Notable losses
QB Jimmy Garoppolo, QB Brian Hoyer, RB Josh Jacobs, RB Brandon Bolden, FB Jakob Johnson, WR Hunter Renfrow, WR DeAndre Carter, TE Austin Hooper, TE Jesper Horsted, OT Jermaine Eluemunor, OT Brandon Parker, OT Justin Herron, G Greg Van Roten, DL Isaac Rochell, DT Bilal Nichols, DT Jerry Tillery, CB Amik Robertson, CB David Long Jr., CB Tyler Hall, S Roderic Teamer
2024 draft class
TE Brock Bowers (1.13), G Jackson Powers-Johnson (2.44), OT Delmar Glaze (3.77), CB Decamerion Richardson (4.112), LB Tommy Eichenberg (5.148), RB Dylan Laube (6.208), S Trey Taylor (7.223), CB M.J. Devonshire (7.229)
Projected starters
QB: Gardner Minshew II
RB: Zamir White
WR: Davante Adams
WR: Jakobi Meyers
TE: Brock Bowers (R)
TE: Michael Mayer
LT: Kolton Miller
LG: Jackson Powers-Johnson (R)
C: Andre James
RG: Dylan Parham
RT: Thayer Munford Jr.
DE: Maxx Crosby
DT: Christian Wilkins
DT: John Jenkins
DE: Malcolm Koonce
LB: Robert Spillane
LB: Divine Deablo
CB: Jack Jones
FS: Tre’von Moehrig
SS: Marcus Epps
SCB: Nate Hobbs
CB: Jakorian Bennett
2024 outlook
Defense was the calling card for Las Vegas after Antonio Pierce got the interim job in 2023, and Maxx Crosby leads a unit that plays extremely hard to help overcome what they might lack in talent. There are some questions about Crosby essentially going rogue to get Pierce the permanent job by putting public pressure on team owner Mark Davis this offseason—creating an awkward situation if the team underperforms; and it is notable that six of the eight wins for the Raiders last year came versus quarterbacks that aren’t expected starters in 2024: Mac Jones, Tommy DeVito (Daniel Jones was injured early), Zach Wilson, Joshua Dobbs, Easton Stick, and Jarrett Stidham.
That said, I do believe Pierce earned the job for the work he did last year, as you could see the difference regarding how hard the team played for him. My worry is that he is set up to fail if the quarterback situation isn’t good enough with Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell, especially after proclaiming he didn’t want any band-aids at the position—which is exactly the situation the franchise finds itself. The pieces are there for Minshew to have success as the starter, but Davante Adams’ high personal expectations might not be met, and it will be very interesting to see how things play out over the first couple of months ahead of the trade deadline.
If the team is going to defy expectations and pick up where they left off under Pierce last season, it’ll clearly be in a similar manner with Crosby and the defense—boosted by star defensive tackle Christian Wilkins—dominating. In addition to the talent increasing with Wilkins up front, the former Clemson standout can play mind games with the best of them, so Las Vegas will at least have the most annoying defense to play against in the league. And if Jack Jones continues the ball-hawking he showed in 2023, the group might single-handedly win games if the offense can avoid mistakes.
Position battle to watch: Quarterback
The summer quarterback battle is over, so this is more of a “free space” to discuss the situation and what the Raiders could have done differently—which is something I expect fans will be speculating if they fail to live up to expectations in 2024. Bo Nix was the obvious target in the draft and someone Las Vegas could and should have moved up for, and there are several other options (some younger, some cheaper, and some a combination of both) that I believe might have increased the ceiling for this season.
Breakout candidate: TE Michael Mayer
Sticking with the offense, a tight end duo of Brock Bowers and Mayer could immediately be the best in football, and the Raiders should feature them both between the numbers. There might be some skepticism about Mayer being able to make a statistical leap due to the presence of his first-round rookie teammate, but Bowers should be used in a variety of ways while the Notre Dame product handles most of the traditional tight end snaps—with each guy seeing plenty of action.
Circle on the calendar: Week 13 (@ KC) | Friday, November 29 – 3:00 PM ET
The only option here was one of the matchups versus the Chiefs, and we’ll jump past the October showdown at Allegiant Stadium to see if Vegas can ruin another holiday for Patrick Mahomes when they meet in the second annual Black Friday game. There is a real chance the Raiders are playing spoiler if the quarterback play isn’t good enough through 12 weeks, but that doesn’t mean Pierce’s squad wouldn’t put up a fight.
Bottom line
Las Vegas has a huge question mark at the most important position in sports, so it will take a top-tier defense to turn them into a contender. Either way, the 2025 quarterback class is stronger than people realize right now, and the Raiders need to hit on a guy to match Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix in the division.