This Las Vegas Raiders have a huge decision to make regarding who their starting quarterback will be this coming season.
Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce has stated a number of times that second-year Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell is the front-runner, but the starting job will come down to how he and veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II close out the summer in training camp and preseason.
Raiders legend Tim Brown knows all too well what fitds the mold of a starting quarterback in the NFL, having played with some great quarterbacks throughout his 16 years with the Silver and Black, including Jay Schroeder, Steve Beuerlein, Jeff Hostetler, Jeff George and 2002 MVP Rich Gannon.
During his recent appearance on "The Zach Gelb Show," Brown predicted who he thinks will be the Raiders' QB1 when the 2024 season starts.
"I think because Gardner is so used to coming off the bench, and that's sort of been his career, that they may give the young kid a little chance first to go out there to see what he can do for a couple games," Brown said. "And if he can't handle it, then they know what they have in Gardner that they'll go with him. So, that's what I see, but I have no idea what they're going to do."
O'Connell made 10 starts for the Raiders last season, including the final nine games when he helped will the Silver and Black to a 5-4 finish under then-interim head coach Pierce, now the team's full-time head coach.
O'Connell, drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, was merely a rookie, but he accepted the challenge and finished with a respectable first NFL season, making his case as the potential starter going forward. He totaled 2,218 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns in 11 games.
Minshew, meanwhile, comes off a Pro-Bowl season with the Indianapolis Colts and has proven he can be a valuable starter in this league. He has the edge on O'Connell in terms of experience, which he should look to lean on come training camp.
Whoever starts under center for the Raiders next season will look to break the inconsistency the club has had at quarterback since former Raiders quarterback Derek Carr was benched in the 2022 season.
