Early in the offseason, many expected the Las Vegas Raiders to sign a veteran quarterback or trade up in the NFL Draft to select Jayden Daniels, one of the draft’s top quarterbacks. The Raiders added quarterback Gardner Minshew to the team and passed on drafting a quarterback in the first round or any round. Raiders Assistant General Manager Champ Kelly recently expressed confidence in the quarterbacks the Raiders currently have on the roster.
Although the starting position will come down to O’Connell and Minshew for this season, CBS Sports’ Chris Trapasso believes the Raiders could be in the market to draft a quarterback in next year’s draft, depending on how this season goes for the Silver and Black.
The disrespect of the Raiders quarterback room continues, despite the confidence of the Silver and Black leadership.
“The Raiders completely passed on the entire 2024 draft class of quarterbacks, although we can't totally blame them for doing so in Round 1 after they witnessed history directly in front of them with six passers going in the first 12 selections for the first time in league history,” Trapasso said.
Passing on a quarterback in this year’s draft leaves the Raiders depending on O’Connell and Minshew to get them through at least this season, Coach Pierce’s first as the team’s permanent head coach.
“That means the first full year of the Antonio Pierce era begins with Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell as the two vying for the starting gig in Sin City. Now, I'll give it to O'Connell -- for a fourth-round rookie, he held his own in 2023, throwing 12 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. But his yards-per-attempt average was a minuscule 6.5 yards, and he completed just 62.1% of his throws, pretty low for a passer known for his quick delivery and underneath accuracy.”
Minshew has started 37 games and thrown for nearly 10,000 yards during his five-season career. Trapasso thinks that while O’Connell is the likely starter, Minshew has more than proved himself to be a capable backup quarterback in the league, if not more.
Minshew solidified his status as capable bridge quarterback last season on the Colts, as he got them to the doorstep of the playoffs without a star-studded group of receivers,” Trapasso said.
