The Raiders have been advertising a quarterback competition between Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew for a while now, but there’s a chance the decision isn’t going to be made on the team’s starting quarterback for another 2-3 weeks.
O’Connell seemed to have a slight edge in the competition going into training camp, but to this point it doesn’t sound like anyone has seized the job.
“I’d like to see…somebody to take it and say ‘I’m the guy,’” head coach Antonio Pierce said on Tuesday. “And make it clear, and evident and we’ll make that decision at that point.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on the Raiders’ quarterback situation this week and his opinion on the position battle hasn’t changed since the offseason.
“I think Pierce will feel enough loyalty to O’Connell to lean his way, and if neither player separates himself during camp, I predict that’s the way the Raiders will go in Week 1,” Fowler said in an ESPN Insider column. “How long O’Connell holds the job will likely depend on whether the team is winning, but it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see both of these guys start games in 2024 — and someone totally different could be starting Week 1 in 2025.”
As Fowler pointed out, there’s a chance both quarterbacks will get meaningful playing time during the season. Outside of the building, there aren’t many who consider O’Connell or Minshew to be the Raiders’ long-term answer at quarterback, but both have an opportunity in Las Vegas that they probably wouldn’t get in other NFL cities.
In just his second NFL season, O’Connell might have more upside than his counterpart, but Jim Plunkett and Rich Gannon were both journeyman quarterbacks who were able to jumpstart their careers with the Raiders – Plunkett winning two Super Bowls and Gannon named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player in 2002. Minshew is trying to do the same.
The Raiders open the preseason on August 10 against the Vikings and that will be the first opportunity to see both quarterbacks in game situations. Training camp reps are getting the attention now, but it will be hard for the coaching staff to ignore a strong preseason from either quarterback over the course of the next three weeks.
x: @raidersbeat