2024 NFL redraft: 3 teams regretting not taking a bigger swing on Jayden Daniels

Regret comes in different shapes and sizes, all of which amounts to the same general thesis: I made a huge mistake. Not to say these NFL teams made GOB Bluth huge mistakes of not prioritizing moving up to get Jayden Daniels in the 2024 NFL Draft, but I am certain they wish he was their team's starting quarterback. The Washington Commanders have a budding superstar, and it is the rookie out of LSU.

Look. Let me make one thing perfectly clear. If anybody besides the Chicago Bears wanted to draft Daniels, they would have had to give up heaven and earth in a deal in the hopes that Washington would have been enticed enough to move off from the No. 2 overall pick. The Commanders were never going to. Conversely, Chicago was always going to pick Caleb Williams No. 1 overall out of USC.

In this extreme hypothetical, what if a slew of teams had enough gumption to pull off such a monumental blockbuster trade? More importantly, what teams are currently kicking themselves some three weeks into the 2024 NFL season because they don't have Daniels on their team. It is a tiny sample size, but I know what I saw out of Daniels last year and pretty much throughout his LSU career.

Let's start with a team that will be facing Daniels and the Commanders twice annually going forward.

3. New York Giants

Because the New York Giants play in the same division as the Commanders, the G-Men would have had to trade up to No. 1 in a deal with the Bears to be in a position to draft Daniels. While they could have conceivably moved up to No. 3 in a deal with the New England Patriots, there were no guarantees Daniels was going to making past the second pick. The Giants still missed out big time...

Although they may have drafted someone quite good in Daniels' former college teammate in wide receiver Malik Nabers, he still has some combination of Daniel Jones and Drew Lock throwing him the football. Therefore, the Giants have the worst quarterbacking situation in the highly competitive NFC East. The worst part of it all is New York will have to deal with Daniels twice annually going forward.

Truth be told, New York was always gearing up for drafting a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. Whether that be Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, Shedeur Sanders, or even someone else entirely, remains to be seen. Regardless, it still does not change the fact that Daniels is now starring for a hated division rival and y'all still have Jones as your starting quarterback. This could get ugly fast...

I don't know how many first-round picks New York would have needed to send to Chicago to do this.

2. Las Vegas Raiders

It would have taken the biggest climb of any of these teams in question, but it might have been worth it in the end. Although I loved the Las Vegas Raiders being able to draft my Dawg Brock Bowers out of Georgia, Daniels did play for Antonio Pierce at Arizona State. Yes, Pierce was on Herm Edwards' Sun Devils staff while Daniels was playing quarterback in Tempe. They apparently had a close relationship.

Admittedly, moving up from No. 13 to No. 2 in a deal with Washington was always going to be a difficult ask for a new general manager taking over in Tom Telesco. However, I think the Raiders regret not pushing all of their chips to the middle of the table to be in hot pursuit of Daniels. Right now, they have a shaky Gardner Minshew II as their starter and an unproven Aidan O'Connell backing him up.

As it is with the Giants, the Raiders may be gearing up to draft a quarterback next spring. I don't think they will be in position to draft Carson Beck, but Shedeur Sanders could be available, and Quinn Ewers is looking more and more like the Sam Bradford you have at home. I think the Raiders will be fine this year, but it is a year-to-year proposition for them because they do not have a franchise guy.

I applaud their efforts for trying to move up, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.

1. Tennessee Titans

While I debated putting the Giants and Raiders in the top spot, it had to be the Tennessee Titans. Don't you see it? This team is not good, and going nowhere fast. When I said during the offseason that this might be the worst team in the league, I wasn't joking. They haven't had an answer at quarterback since effectively pivoting off Ryan Tannehill. At 0-3, at least they play in the AFC South...

When two parties go in different directions, you have to accept that each party is going to have its fair share of wins and losses. But for the Cincinnati Bengals without Brian Callahan, there is not a win to be had through six weeks. With their powers combined, these AFC not-so titans are 0-6... Will Levis, Mason Rudolph, I don't care. How did they think that combination was ever going to win games?

As it is with Las Vegas and New York, the 2025 NFL Draft may be the cure to what is ailing the Titans. Callahan learned from Zac Taylor in Cincinnati, who in turn learned from Callahan's father Bill while playing at Nebraska. Once Callahan gets a quarterback who is worth a damn, then it might be worth our time talking about the Titans. In the meantime, why couldn't they have just moved up from No. 7?

Just like the Raiders, the Titans happen play in the opposite conference of Washington and Chicago.