It remains to be seen who will start at quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 8, when they kick off their 2024 season with a road tilt against the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers.
What we do know is that the Las Vegas Raiders will have a new Week 1 starter for the second straight year. Jimmy Garoppolo, who opened 2023 as the starting QB, was released after completing just one season of a three-year deal.
Sophomore Aidan O’Connell finished last season as the starting QB after Garoppolo was benched. His competition is veteran Gardner Minshew II, who signed a two-year deal worth $25 million after a superb 2023 season with the Indianapolis Colts.
But if the Las Vegas Raiders don’t get much production out of O’Connell and/or Minshew in 2024, GM Tom Telesco will surely be in the market for a new quarterback. And Bleacher Report’s NFL scouting department proposed one enticing name as a potential target for next year.
That would be Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who’s entering the final season of a four-year deal he signed in the 2021 offseason:
“The Dallas Cowboys are playing a dangerous game by letting Dak Prescott get this far without a new contract. The 31-year-old is in the final year of his current deal, and the Cowboys also have contract negotiations with CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons to consider.
If Prescott gets through this season without an extension, it would only make sense for him to at least see what he could get on the open market.
The Raiders would make sense as a landing spot. Considering the supporting cast that includes Davante Adams, Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer with a promising defense, Prescott could be the missing piece.”
Is Dak Prescott on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame if he wins a Super Bowl? 🤔
• 29,459 passing yards
• 202 passing TD’s
• 76% CMP %
• 1,884 rushing yards
• 28 rushing TD’s
• 3x Pro Bowler (2016, 2018, 2023)
• All Pro (2023)
• AP offensive rookie of the year… pic.twitter.com/DuAhLDjGxI— Ernie The Cowboys Fan (@es3_09) August 1, 2024
After nine years, the Raiders released Derek Carr in the 2023 offseason, and he went on to sign with the New Orleans Saints. Garoppolo didn’t cut it as Carr’s successor, but we’ll see if O’Connell or Minshew can be the answer for Antonio Pierce and company.
Dak Prescott Would Make Las Vegas Raiders Title Contenders
The Raiders have a borderline top-10 defense, a solid offensive line and a deep set of playmakers led by Davante Adams and Brock Bowers. If they could get a top-10 QB like Dak Prescott, Las Vegas would immediately emerge as a Super Bowl contender in the AFC.
This team went 8-9 a year ago with Garoppolo, O’Connell and Brian Hoyer combining for 19 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. A player like Prescott would move the needle and make the Raiders a true contender again for the first time since 2016, when they finished 12-4.
