At 2-11, the Las Vegas Raiders are squarely in the mix for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Only the 2-12 New York Giants currently sport a worse record than the Raiders ahead of Monday Night Football in Week 15.
The Raiders will soon enter an offseason filled with questions, including the future of head coach Antonio Pierce. But one of their biggest questions (regardless of head coach), is who will be the starting quarterback in 2025?
Both Gardner Minshew II and Aidan O’Connell are dealing with injuries, and neither is likely to factor into Vegas’ future plans. Minshew is only guaranteed about $3.1 million next season. The Raiders can move on from him, saving $6.3 million in cap space while leaving about $7.6 million in dead money.
Could the Raiders Land Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Needless to say, the Raiders will be eyeing a quarterback in the draft next season, very likely at the top of Round 1. Could that option be in Colorado?
Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to be at least one of the first two quarterbacks taken in April’s draft, along with Miami’s Cam Ward. Sanders will be linked to the Raiders in many mock drafts between now and the start of the first round on April 24 in Green Bay, WI.
Those links could be even stronger following a recent social media post from Sanders as he recently visited Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
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Naturally, folks will start speculating that Vegas is his preferred destination, especially given the rumors that Deion Sanders will try to help pick and choose where his son is drafted in the NFL.
Sanders helped orchestrate a fast turnaround in Boulder during the 2024 season, taking Colorado from 4-8 in 2023 to 9-3 in 2024 and joining a four-way tie for first place in the Big 12 standings. Unfortunately, tiebreakers kept the Buffaloes out of the Big 12 Championship Game that saw Arizona State defeat Iowa State.
Sanders threw for 3,926 yards, 35 touchdowns, and eight interceptions this season. It’s possible still that he will opt out of the Valero Alamo Bowl against BYU, the other team that tied for the Big 12 lead but was left out of the title game. Sanders has also accepted his invite to the East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas, TX.
Should Sanders land in Las Vegas, he’ll have key pieces to start with as the Raiders look to build their offense. Tight end Brock Bowers has been an immediate home run in his first season, setting the rookie record for catches by a tight end with 87 and still four games to play.
The Raiders finish the season with games against the Falcons, Jaguars, Saints, and Chargers. They currently sit at No. 2 in the draft order, behind only the Giants. Vegas also would currently hold the strength of schedule tiebreaker over New York.
If the Raiders don’t turn things around here, they’ll at least be in a strong position to, hopefully, find their quarterback of the future.