Biggest free-agency mistakes Raiders made and how to fix them in the NFL Draft

Signing Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25 million deal

Woof, that contract. The good news is that it's only two years? The Raiders weren't wrong to assume that they needed a little bit more quarterback help, but ... Gardner Minshew? In a year where the Raiders probably have to convince Davante Adams that he shouldn't demand a trade? There are a ton of Nick-Foles-In-Jacksonville vibes to this deal. There's certainly more to life than just QB Rating, but in 13 games last year, Minshew's was 84.6; Aidan O'Connell's, in 10 games played, was 83.9. It's not that Minshew's unplayably bad, it's just so ... uninspired. Especially for a team that ended last year on such a strong note.

The fix: Draft a quarterback!

You could even get crazy and draft two! The Raiders have the 13th overall pick and are stuck behind both Minnesota and Denver, so trading up for either Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels doesn't seem particularly realistic. But Michael Penix/Bo Nix/JJ McCarthy may still be there at 13, if they want to take a risk – and frankly, I'm not sure how surprising it would be to see one of them still on the board at their next pick (44) too. The worst thing the Raiders can do is go into next year confident that they can contend in the *AFC West* with the two QBs they currently have on the roster.