Fans of the Las Vegas Raiders couldn’t be blamed for feeling less-than-excited about the club’s quarterback competition between 2023 fourth-round draft pick Aidan O’Connell and journeyman Gardner Minshew this summer.
During a recent conversation with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce didn’t offer the most promising preview of what’s to come.
“We’re probably not going to be, to be honest, a juggernaut offense,” Pierce admitted to Fowler. “Would I love to be? Yeah. To sit here and say we’re going to score 30 points a game, that’s not realistic.”
It’s hardly a secret that the Raiders were seriously interested in moving up from the 13th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft into the top three selections in order to land a rookie quarterback. Pre-draft rumors and stories routinely linked Las Vegas with LSU Tigers signal-caller Jayden Daniels, but the Washington Commanders held onto choice No. 2 and then spent that asset to land Daniels.
Pierce and others within the Raiders likely can’t help but wonder what could have been every time they see a piece detailing how Daniels has impressed teammates, coaches and even opposing players since his first springtime workout with Washington.
As for what Pierce wants in a starter, Fowler said that the coach “is looking for consistency, command of the huddle and, most importantly, someone who will take care of the football.” That’s all well and good, but Paul Gutierrez noted in a different ESPN article posted on Friday that O’Connell and Minshew experienced “up-and-down play throughout training camp” leading up to the Raiders’ preseason opener at the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday afternoon.
Pierce seemingly won’t make any final QB1 decision before both O’Connell and Minshew play against the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 17. As of late Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed O’Connell as the betting favorite at -130 odds to start over Minshew (+105) for the club’s Week 1 game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8.
On paper, O’Connell is the more promising of the two options regarding Las Vegas’ long-term future if only because he turns just 26-years-old in September and is largely an unproven product who went 5-5 as a starter during his rookie season. Minshew, 28, may never be more than a solid backup good for the occasional start, but there’s a chance O’Connell could flip a figurative switch and play better than advertised between now and Week 18.
Then again, Pierce and the Raiders may simply be waiting for a chance to sign Cowboys star Dak Prescott assuming he reaches free agency in March 2025.
“Whatever the best of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, we’re getting that from them,” Pierce added while speaking with Fowler.
That “best” clearly doesn’t have Pierce expecting the Raiders to complete a journey to Super Bowl LIX.
