Usually, when teams throw big money at quarterbacks, the argument for it at least makes sense. You wouldn't even be in the free agent QB market if you had Your Guy on the roster, and the free market is the free market. It's never the longterm answer, but there are instances where going after the high-priced vet makes sense. (Just don't draft Michael Penix a month later.)
Unfortunately, none of that applies to the Raiders. They finally got a bloated QB contract off their books only to immediately turn around and put a bloated QB contract on their books. And granted, the two-year deal Gardner Minshew got wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as the four-year deal Jimmy Garopollo got, but even $20 million for Minshew felt like Tom Telesco at his very worst.
So now, even with two QBs headed for an August training camp battle, the Raiders still aren't anywhere closer to figuring out the position. Fun! It's why the latest article from Bleacher Report, titled, "Every Team's Biggest Needs, Remaining Cap Space After 2024 NFL Free Agency, Draft," stings just a little harder for fans in Vegas. If you value your peace of mind, maybe now's a time to go read something else. Here's what they said:
Raiders' biggest remaining offseason need may cause fans to panic
"This might not be the offseason that some Raiders fans were hoping for, but there's still a lot to like ... Some might have envisioned this being the year the Silver and Black found their long-term starter at quarterback. The draft didn't fall their way, but the new front office led by Tom Telesco did a good job of preparing for that possibility by signing Gardner Minshew II ... "
That will keep them from making any desperate moves at the position even if it remains a major need."
That is BLEAK. Calling Telesco's deicion to prepare for the possibility of having a terrible draft by giving out a terrible QB contract months before the draft even takes place is certainly an argument one could make, I guess. The Raiders handed out literally the 2nd biggest QB contract in the NFL this offseason, and that position is still listed as the first position of need on their roster. Going to be a fun season.