The Raiders committed to a change at the quarterback position at the end of the 2022 season with the benching of Derek Carr, who had led the team for the previous nine years. With Carr on his way out and eventually signed by the Saints, Las Vegas was open for business and the only question was if they'd turn to a veteran or a rookie as their next starter.
That question appeared to be answered when the Raiders signed Jimmy Garoppolo, who has extensive experience leading a team during his time with the 49ers. But when asked Friday whether the decision to bring in Jimmy G lessens the possibility of picking a quarterback in next week's draft, Las Vegas general manager Dave Ziegler said the team has a responsibility to look at every option available, including QB.
"Not necessarily. I think that any time you can find a young player at that position that's gonna have an impact on your team, you have to keep an open mind to that," he said. "Of course we're excited to have Jimmy and having Jimmy does supply us with a very high-quality starting player at the position. We feel comfortable with that. But, I think to close that door and just say that that's not something you would do because of X,Y and Z, that's not the business we're in."
The Raiders currently hold the No. 7 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, setting them up to possibly take a QB. Of Las Vegas' Top 30 visits, six have been with quarterbacks -- Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Florida's Anthony Richardson, Kentucky's Will Levis, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, and Purdue's Aidan O’Connell.
And if by the end of Day 3 a quarterback does end up with the Silver and Black, he could have the opportunity to usurp Garoppolo from his current standing, as Ziegler said the Raiders were open to a camp battle.
"I think we're open to having competition at the quarterback position and every other position on the roster," Ziegler said. "We're never going to close the door on that."
But even if the Raiders end up following through with the plan to start Garoppolo Week 1, there's always a benefit to having a young signal-caller waiting in the wings in the case of injury or other unforeseen circumstances, something Ziegler recognized.
"I think it goes back just to the value of the position. Doing your due diligence on all of those guys is important, too," Ziegler said. "The value at that position and having a young guy that can come in and play and contribute; we've seen where those contracts have gone on quarterbacks, too. So there's obviously an advantage of having someone on a rookie, a quarterback on a rookie contract, in terms of roster construction and those types of things. And so, like I mentioned at the beginning, I think just closing that door is irresponsible to do that."
