How the Raiders are Evaluating the QB Position
There are many evaluations the Las Vegas Raiders will have to consider this offseason, including the starting quarterback position.
The Raiders must evaluate the possibility of having Aidan O'Connell return as the starter, signing a veteran starting quarterback, or drafting a quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.
On Wednesday, new General Manager Tom Telesco, and new Coach, Antonio Pierce discussed the evaluation process around the quarterback position.
Telesco is very familiar with quarterback O'Connell, as he started in the 63-21 rout of the Los Angeles Chargers, a team Telesco was a part of as the general manager for 10 seasons.
Telesco and Coach Brandon Staley were fired the next day by the Chargers.
"I'll tell you, like I just said before, I have a lot of learning to do to figure out this team from the inside, not from the outside," Telesco said. "Obviously, Aidan played pretty well against us, so that's a plus. But I need to get a lot more in depth with this team as far as more than just a couple games and then talk with the staff. We've got to do that at every position. That's really probably No. 1, at least for me. I have to get to know this team as well as I knew the team I just came from, which I don't yet, but I'm going to get there pretty quickly."
Las Vegas Raiders Tom Telesco and Antonio Pierce talk about evaluating the quarterback position
Pierce also had the chance to talk about O'Connell and his approach to the quarterback evaluation.
"I thought we saw growth with Aidan," Pierce said. "I thought at the end of the season, he was playing some really good football that led to some wins for us. But taking care of the football, being responsible, being more vocal. I think he put himself in a position to learn what it's like to be a pro in the off-season because he could reflect on what he just did. If he didn't have those opportunities, he would never know what mistakes he made. So I think it was a great learning tool for him, now that we have it on film, like Tom said, to evaluate it and really look at it going forward."
In his rookie season with the Silver and Black, O'Connell finished with a passer rating of 83.9 with 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 games.
From February 27 to March 4, 2024, the NFL Scouting Combine will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently hold the No. 13 overall pick.
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