The most important position in the NFL is quarterback. No matter how good the rest of the roster is, a team will only go so far if they aren’t getting great performances from the man under center. For the Las Vegas Raiders, their starting QB will come down to a competition between second-year man Aidan O’Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew.
While the competition on the field will surely be a fierce one, the two do have a lot of respect for each other with O’Connell even noting that there are some similarities in their stories, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN:
“Our stories are kind of both underdog stories,” O’Connell said Tuesday, “and having to work to get to the point where we’re at.”
Both O’Connell and Minshew were picked in the latter half of the draft with O’Connell being a fourth-round pick while Minshew went in the sixth. Both also began their careers as backups but were thrust into starting duty as rookies.
They both undoubtedly want to win this competition and be the Raiders starting quarterback, but Minshew made it clear that they both are competitors and want to beat the other at their best:
“As any real competitor, you don’t want them to be worse; you want yourself to be better. So, the better he is, if I’m beating him out, that means I’m just raising it that much more. … If he’s pushing me and he’s completing every pass, I’ve got to figure out a way to do better.
“He’s a team guy; I’m a team guy. We both want to win. We both want to get better. So, I mean, there’s really not much conflict of interest there.”
O’Connell would also add that he is feeling a lot more comfortable in his second season, even while trying to learn a new offense:
“It is a change because it’s a new offense, so it’s a little bit like starting over,” O’Connell said. “But at the same time, it is my now second year in the NFL. I think all the extra rookie stuff I don’t have to do anymore is really a weight off my shoulders. And so, yeah, definitely feeling more comfortable … it’s obviously a competition, so [I’m] trying to put my best foot forward every day.”
This will be a true competition between O’Connell and Minshew as the Raiders look for the man to lead them back to the playoffs in 2024. They will battle it out throughout training camp, but their respect will not dwindle regardless of who comes out on top.
Aidan O’Connell switches jersey number out of respect for former Raiders QB Derek Carr
Another difference for O’Connell this season will be his jersey number. As a rookie, O’Connell had the jersey no. 4, but in 2024, he will be no. 12, and he revealed the reason for the change.
O’Connell revealed that he didn’t choose the number, but it was given to him. Once the offseason came, he felt it was disrespectful to former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who is the franchise’s career leader in passing yards and touchdowns.
