Back in December, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said it would be “a little bit unfair” if the Raiders decide to fire Antonio Pierce. Three weeks later, Pierce was fired and so was general manager Tom Telesco.
Schefter didn’t like the idea of firing Pierce a month ago and he doesn’t seem any happier about it now.
On his podcast this week, the idea was mentioned to Schefter that the Raiders could find a quarterback and potentially have a “Commanders-like jump” in the win column.
The NFL’s most decorated insider wasn’t having it.
“I don’t mean to be a pessimist. I don’t believe that is possible. I just don’t believe it,” Schefter said. “Jayden Daniels is one of these generational quarterbacks. You’re not finding that guy in the draft this year and you don’t even have the draft pick to do it.”
Schefter went on to talk about the “lack of stability” and “impatience” that led to the Raiders being in the position they are in right now.
The situation in Las Vegas clearly struck a nerve with Schefter and as some have pointed out, he didn’t seem to have his usual countenance in this particular segment…
Beyond his big picture criticisms around the Raiders, Schefter definitely seemed to get off course with his description of the team’s efforts to trade for Jayden Daniels a year ago.
He said the Raiders had “such an interest” in Daniels but apparently forgot to call the Commanders and see if the Heisman winner might be available… or something along those lines.
“Jayden Daniels is one of these generational quarterbacks. You’re not finding that guy in the draft this year, and you don’t even have the draft pick to do it,” Schefter said. “By the way, that’s why last year, it’s why the Raiders had such an interest in trying to see if they could trade for Jayden Daniels,” Schefter continued. “But by the way, matter of fact, they never made the call at all. They never even tried to get that trade done. A lot of speculation about it. More in the media than within the teams themselves. The Raiders never called about Jayden Daniels.”
Despite Schefter’s report, it seems unlikely the Raiders didn’t do everything they could to get a quarterback in last year’s draft. Whether that communication came through back channels or by means other than a phone call, it’s a safe bet the Raiders received the message that Washington wasn’t trading the no. 2 pick in the draft.
All in all, a little bit of weird conversation with a lot of strong statements from one of the most respected insiders in the business.
x: @raidersbeat
Adam is right its going to be a long time before we are a decent team
Sounds like he’s just hating on the raiders. He don’t no what can happen next year. He’s just got a opinion just like anyone else. But he’s wrong saying the raiders shouldn’t have fired AP. AP wasn’t gonna be able to have us in position to compete with those other teams in our division for a long time. Now if we get Ben Johnson Im not saying we’re going to have a Commanders type turn around next year…but I believe we’ll be in contention for a playoff spot. Johnson I think we’ll put whatever QB we have next year in a position to be successful. How successful..idk..but way more successful than the position AP put them in. If we’re in the playoffs next year I want Scheffler to get on TV and admit he was wrong. But I seriously doubt he will. I’ve lost a lot of respect for Scheffler after the statements he just made about the raiders.
Adam should stick to dishing the news, because he doesn’t know what he’s talking about here!
I believe the silver and black has their back. Mark Davis needs to keep his out of the business end of the operation. They need to hire coaches that really wants to win, and get players that wants to win, and earn their paychecks. Basically the silver and black needs to get their shirt together. Their division is the toughest in the nfl.
And I don’t think it’s possible that “Shafter” knows his arse from two hot rocks.
He’s a long time Raider Hater.
These insights into last off-season tell plenty. Telesco was even worse than McZiggy. Didn’t even try to get the QB that AP wanted and desperately needed. Minshew was Telesco’s pick not AP’s. Josh Jacobs was AP’s guy but once again Telesco’s guy was the cheaper one. Just one terrible personnel decision after another. There was a reason the Chargers finally said enough was enough the year before.
Raiders fan 60 years find a good coach and general manager stick with it after all they changed Washington and San Diego in 1 year