Las Vegas Raiders: Josh McDaniels can win with a rookie QB in 2023
By Brad Weiss
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels can win with a rookie quarterback, though a veteran is the better way to go at the position.
After nine seasons as the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, Derek Carr will call a new place home for the 2023 campaign. Carr’s unceremonious departure from the franchise he set multiple records with is not a done deal, as the team has yet to allow him to speak to other teams, and no trade seems to be in the works.
However, whether he is on the roster in 2023 due to some crazy situation, or he leaves, the fact is, someone will be manning Josh McDaniels’ offense next season. Be it a veteran, or a rookie, McDaniels is going to have to teach his system to someone new, of course, unless that person is Tom Brady.
Looking at all the options in free agency, Brady is the only logical upgrade from Carr, especially if Aaron Rodgers goes to the New York Jets. If they miss out on Brady, a rookie quarterback could be under center in 2023, but that does not necessarily mean a lost season for the Silver and Black.
McDaniels has won with a rookie quarterback before, as recently as 2021, when Mac Jones won the job from Cam Newton in training camp and started all 17 games for the New England Patriots. That Patriots team went 10-7, making the playoffs as a wild card, and Jones finished second in the Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and made the Pro Bowl.
Raiders reportedly have their eyes on Anthony Richardson
According to Vic Tafur of the Athletic, University of Florida starting quarterback Anthony Richardson intrigued Zieger during the team’s game against the University of Tennessee. Picking at No. 7 overall, he would definitely be an option for the Silver and Black, especially if Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Will Levis go within the first six picks.
Richardson is considered by many to be a project quarterback, as some of the tape can be offputting, but he also may have the highest ceiling.
For McDaniels, the 2023 season could make or break his career as a legitimate head coach at the NFL level, as he has had way more success as an assistant. His goal has to be to get Brady or Rodgers to the desert, but if it is Richardson or even one of the three quarterbacks ranked above him in this year’s draft class, he can win that way too.