The Las Vegas Raiders were widely expected to pursue an upgrade at the quarterback position this offseason. Whether that upgrade came from a trade, free agency, or the NFL Draft, very few expected to stand relatively pat.
When everything was said and done, the Raiders signed veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew in free agency. Outside of that move, nothing was done at quarterback. Las Vegas has decided to go into the 2024 season with second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell and Minshew as their starting quarterback options.
Antonio Pierce has been very vocal about his belief in O’Connell and the Las Vegas Raiders have hyped up Minshew as well. They seem very comfortable with the quarterback situation that they are in.
While they may be comfortable with it, the media is not being so nice. The Raiders are receiving some brutal takes about their quarterback room.
Las Vegas Raiders QB Room Gets Brutally Ripped Into
Pro Football Focus analyst John Kosko did not hold back on the Las Vegas Raiders’ quarterback room. He ranked them dead last in the NFL in a recent column.
“Unfortunately for the Raiders, they live in a division dominated by two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. While the division rival Denver Broncos were in contention for this spot, Las Vegas did very little to improve the room for the 2024 season. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will compete for the starting job, which doesn’t spark much excitement for a fanbase that has yet to see a legit contender in Vegas.”
Despite the critical take from Kosko, the Raiders are ready to prove the doubters wrong.
O’Connell showed flashes of having big potential last season. He was very inconsistent, but the Raiders seemed confident that he could take a big step forward with a full offseason of work and development.
During his rookie season in 2023 with the Las Vegas Raiders, O’Connell ended up completing 62.1 percent of his pass attempts for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He played in 11 games.
Las Vegas star wide receiver Davante Adams had some nice things to say about the young quarterback throughout the year. He seems to have confidence in O’Connell. That alone gives the Raiders’ fan base reason to believe that O’Connell can develop into much more than he showed last season.
Minshew is also coming off of a solid 2023 campaign, where he started the majority of the season with the Indianapolis Colts. He racked up 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on the season. If needed, he can at least play at a decent starting level.
No one is going to argue that the Las Vegas Raiders have a superstar in the making on their roster at the quarterback position. But, can O’Connell or Minshew be good enough to get them to the playoffs? That seems like a real possibility.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the Raiders are able to do in 2024. Will O’Connell or Minshew rise above expectations? We’ll just have to wait and see.
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