Announcement: Raiders closing in on deal to sign $160 million QB as short-term solution after Gardner Minshew injury

The Las Vegas Raiders dropped their seventh consecutive game on Sunday, losing to the division-rival Denver Broncos at home by the score of 29-19.

It’s a game that saw Gardner Minshew exit in the second half. He was ultimately replaced by Desmond Ridder under center as the Raiders fell to 2-9 on the season.

Following the game, reports surfaced that Minshew suffered a broken collarbone. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Minshew will miss the remainder of the season.

This comes with fellow quarterback Aidan O’Connell likely set to return for Friday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. O’Connell has been out since mid-October with a thumb injury.

Head coach Antonio Pierce and Co. are simply playing out the string this season. Las Vegas boasts the worst record in the NFL and is likely looking for draft positioning more than anything as the remainder of another lost season plays out in Sin City.

Obviously, the quarterback position is a major backdrop for the Silver and Black. They will continue to be linked to Colorado star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, among others, throughout the pre-draft process.

However, there is another short-term option that might be of interest to the Raiders. NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport floated former New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones as a possibility.

Jones was granted his release from the Giants late last week after being demoted from QB1 to fourth-stringer. He has to go through the waiver process and will likely sign with a team on Monday. Based on their record, the Raiders are among the top waiver priorities at this point in the season. Though, Jones will likely clear waivers given his four-year, $160 million contract.

Would signing Jones off the street make sense for the Raiders? It’s an open question given his substandard play and where the Raiders find themselves right now.

Las Vegas Raiders Among Teams In On Daniel Jones

Rapoport’s report came after the injury to Minshew became public record. He had previously indicated interest in Jones from the Raiders, San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens.

The No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Jones was released by New York after being benched during its bye week. The Duke product had asked for his release after being relegated to playing scout team safety during practice last week.

Jones, 27, has thrown 70 touchdowns compared to 47 interceptions throughout his six-year career. Over the course of the past two seasons, he’s tallied a mere 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 16 starts.

The question for Las Vegas is whether acquiring a three or four-game sample size with Jones under center makes sense. It could give the team an opportunity to see what he might be able to provide before free agency opens in March.

Then again, is there a realistic expectation that said sample size would be enough for the Raiders to pass up on a top quarterback in the draft for a player in Jones who seems to be a mere backup? It’s an open question.

Aidan O’Connell Is The Best Bet For The Las Vegas Raiders

If the Raiders want to look at upside moving forward this season, the 26-year-old O’Connell makes more sense than Jones. A fourth-round pick last year, O’Connell started 10 games as a rookie.

He showed some stuff during that span. At the very least, enough to compete with Minshew for the starting job during training camp. O’Connell was injured back on Oct. 20 against the Los Angeles Rams. It seems that he’s now ready to return.

There is another major backdrop to all of this, too. Head coach Antonio Pierce finds himself firmly in the hot seat. Drama has enveloped the Raiders in his first full season in that role. It comes after he showed well in replacing a fired Josh McDaniels on an interim basis last season.

Pierce might not be the chief decision-maker as it relates to the quarterback position given his questionable status for next season. Instead, that could land on general manager Tom Telesco.

Either way, these Las Vegas Raiders find themselves at 2-9 on the season. Nothing that happens moving forward will change the fact that they’re going quarterback hunting in the 2024 NFL Draft. Daniel Jones? Aidan O’Connell? Desmond Ridder? At this point, who really cares? Such is the nature of the beast for a Raiders team that’s playing out yet another lost season.