Raiders Reportedly Open to the Idea of “Stockpiling Draft Picks” for a Quarterback

It’s only the second week of September, but the Raiders know they might have to do something drastic at quarterback after the season.

The roster is largely in position to win now, but the NFL is a quarterback-driven league and the Raiders still have a lot of uncertainty at the most important position on the field.

The hope going into the year was that Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew would seize the starting job, but that didn’t happen. Minshew was named the starter after the Raiders’ second preseason game, but the decision came as a surprise to some, and the veteran quarterback didn’t play particularly well in the season opener against the Chargers.

Narratives can change quickly in the NFL, but if the Raiders don’t start feeling better about their quarterback situation, they are reportedly open to the idea of “stockpiling” draft picks to make an aggressive move after the season.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s Mike Silver reported on that dynamic this week…

Michael Silver on X (formerly Twitter): “”The Raiders, who are believed to be receptive to stockpiling picks in anticipation of positioning themselves to draft a quarterback next spring, were approached about dealing starting receiver Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders rebuffed S.F.’s overtures for the sixth-year veteran…”… / X”

“The Raiders, who are believed to be receptive to stockpiling picks in anticipation of positioning themselves to draft a quarterback next spring, were approached about dealing starting receiver Jakobi Meyers. The Raiders rebuffed S.F.’s overtures for the sixth-year veteran…”…

According to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, trade talks around Meyers “never even reached first base” but a lot can change between now and the November 5 trade deadline. Meyers might not be leaving, but Davante Adams has a huge salary cap number next year and should have significantly more trade value than Meyers.

It was reported last year that GM Tom Telesco had the blessing of Mark Davis to make an aggressive move for a quarterback. That didn’t happen and if the quarterback situation doesn’t improve in the months ahead, Davis’s “blessing” might look more like a mandate.

The Raiders travel to Baltimore on Sunday and Minshew has an opportunity to flip the narrative around the team’s quarterback room against the heavily-favored Ravens.

Among those who are not expecting that to happen are a couple of Las Vegas beat reporters who were caught on a hot microphone at Wednesday’s press conference.

x: @raidersbeat