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Less than 48 hours after the Las Vegas Raiders removed the interim tag from Antonio Pierce’s title, the now-official head coach appears to already have his eyes on the 2024 NFL draft.
To wit, he appears to support the idea of one specific potential splash move — selecting LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner.
Pierce “liked” a post on X, formerly Twitter, that featured a photo of Daniels and two fans, one wearing a Raiders shirt, with a captain claiming the signal-caller wants to “come to the dark side” and including a #RaiderNation hashtag.
X / @antoniopierce
Although the Raiders coach is probably is just showing some love to of one of college football’s top quarterbacks, it’s certainly noteworthy. The Raiders still have Jimmy Garoppolo under contract for two more years after signing him to a three-year, $72.75 million contract last offseason, along with 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell, who played in 11 games this past season.
Garoppolo lost his starting job to O’Connell on Nov. 1, and the rookie enjoyed a decent season with 2,218 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions. Daniels threw for 3,812 yards with 40 touchdown passes to just four interceptions last season, and he also rushed for 1,134 yards with 10 touchdowns.
The Raiders currently own the No. 13 pick in the 2024 NFL draft after finishing the season 8–9, including 5–4 under Pierce as the team’s interim head coach. This year’s draft features several talented signal-callers alongside Daniels, including USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Washington’s Michael Penix.
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