Mishandling the Quarterback Position
To say the Las Vegas Raiders mishandled the quarterback position last offseason would be an understatement, as they cleared out the position group. Instead of going into Year 2 with Derek Carr and Davante Adams after an incredible season by Adams in his first in the Silver and Black, McDaniels and Ziegler decided to turn the page at the quarterback position.
Carr was released on Valentine's Day, clearing the way for McDaniels to bring in 'his' guys at the most important position in sports. Jimmy Garoppolo was signed to a three-year deal to be the new starting quarterback in Las Vegas, and behind him, McDaniels brought in another familiar face in Brian Hoyer.
In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Raiders scored big on Day 3, adding Aidan O'Connell, who would play inspired football once he got the starting job in the second half of the season. By the time Antonio Pierce took over, the Garoppolo experiment was over, as he struggled with bad play and injuries, while Hoyer looked terrible in his only start of the season, a loss against Chicago.
Had the Raiders installed a legitimate option at quarterback over Carr, the offense would have been much better at times, and possibly, the team would have won more games. This offseason, the team has to decide whether O'Connell will be the starter, or another rookie, or possibly a veteran, making it one of the key decisions of the offseason for the new regime.