A Raiders-Cardinals draft trade that would jumpstart the Antonio Pierce era

It takes two to tango. While the Arizona Cardinals would probably prefer to just take Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick, they hold perhaps the most valuable pick up for grabs in the entire 2024 NFL Draft. The expectation is that the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots will go quarterback with the first three picks in the draft.

But what about the Las Vegas Raiders? Yeah, what about the Raiders? Well, the Silver and Black need a long-term solution at quarterback. While the combination of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell will suffice for the time being, they could also draft a guy with the No. 13 overall pick. Better yet, the Raiders are actually ideal trade partners for the Cardinals picking at No. 4. Could they strike a deal?

Here is one potential trade that set both "West Coast" NFL franchises up for long-term success.

For Las Vegas, the Raiders would be able to take at worst the fourth quarteback off the board. While I wouldn't trade up for Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, that is in play for the Raiders. Better yet, they can get either Minshew or O'Connell their weapon of choice in either Harrison or LSU's Malik Nabers. They would also pick up Arizona's fourth-round pick this year to help maneuver around the draft board.

And for Arizona, they pick up the Raiders' first-round pick next year, in addition to their No. 13 overall selection. Under general manager Monti Ossenfort, the Cardinals have already moved back from picking inside the top five. With the No. 27 overall pick from the Houston Texans, the Cardinals could be in a position to move back inside the top 10 if they wanted to draft Nabers or even Rome Odunze.

If Jayden Daniels were to somehow make it to No. 4, Antonio Pierce may not be able to help himself.

This Raiders-Cardinals trade sets both West Coast teams up for success

In a weird way, the Cardinals and Raiders are on the same competitive trajectory. While Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon took over last year, it will be the first year of Pierce and Tom Telesco working together. There are great players to be had on both teams, but they are still a year away from being a year away. One might make a serious run at the postseason this year, but I doubt both of them will.

The reason why these are ideal trade partners is they play in opposite conferences. Usually, the Cardinals and Raiders square off during the pre-season due to relative proximity. That could play a part in them being able to strike a deal fairly easily. The bigger question I have is would the Raiders really want to move up to No. 4? More importantly, could the Cardinals get more than just this offer?

If it is for an opportunity to draft either Daniels or UNC's Drake Maye, I would say it is worth it for the Raiders to move up. Heck, I could argue for moving up to get Harrison, but probably not Nabers. As for the Cardinals, they are getting great, but fair compensation from the Raiders. I think they could squeeze even more out of more desparate teams like the Minnesota Vikings or the Denver Broncos.

Las Vegas may have a need to add a quarterback, but the Raiders are by no means desperate for one.