Raiders Coaching Staff Could Be Protecting QB Aidan O'Connell

The Las Vegas Raiders recently named Gardner Minshew as the team's starting quarterback. In doing so, they could be doing what is in the best long-term interest of Aidan O'Connell.

Aug 17, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) warms up against the Dallas Cowboys at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders recently decided Gardner Minshew II would be the team’s starting quarterback to open the season. Minshew and Aidan O’Connell competed all offseason for the position, with Minshew winning it after the team’s second preseason game. 

“It wasn't based off the [preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys],” said Raiders coach Antonio Pierce. There's a lot of factors, so we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start, and that's what we're going with.”

The Raiders open the season with games against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers. The Ravens, Browns and Panthers’ defenses were ranked in the top five best defenses in the league in total yards allowed per game. They also ranked in the top six in the league in passing yards per game. 

While the Los Angeles Chargers defense was not ranked nearly as high as the other three defenses the Raiders will face in the first quarter of the season, they still have defensive end Joey Bosa and former Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack, who registered six sacks against the Raiders last season in the very first start of O’Connell’s career. 

Although O’Connell may be disappointed he did not win the competition for the team’s starting quarterback position to open the season, it may be in his best interest in the long term. O’Connell is entering his second season in the league and is on his third offensive coordinator. The Raiders start the season with two road games against two formidable defenses, with an offense that is still learning a new offensive scheme, a new offensive coordinator, and a new-look offensive line. 

The last thing O'Connell needs is for his first start of this season to go like his first career start last season, which he certainly remembers. If O'Connell were to get off to a rough start in the team's first two games this season, it would be the worst-case scenario for the young quarterback and the organization. For the Raiders to name O’Connell the starting quarterback to face three of the top five defenses from last season, with as many new and moving parts as the Raiders have on offense, would be a bad idea.

The Raiders also have a veteran quarterback who is the third highest-paid player on the offense and has significantly more NFL experience than O’Connell. While it can be debated who should have won the competition, it is undebatable that starting Minshew, even if it is only for the first few games of the season, is the right decision for O’Connell’s long-term future in the league.

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