Raiders' Gardner Minshew II on Aidan O'Connell, QB Competition

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II is in the middle of his first offseason with the Silver and Black and is competing for the starting quarterback job.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew II (10) throws the ball down the field on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. / Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew II is in the middle of yet another position battle, a situation he has found himself in a few times throughout his NFL career.

This time, he is competing against Raiders second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell, a player who has earned the right to call the offense his. Right now, the two quarterbacks are in the early stages of what will be a summer-long battle.

"It's been great," Minshew told reporters on Tuesday. "I think we both put together a good camp so far. I mean, we've been pushing each other. But also just like enjoying each other, enjoying our room. We got an awesome room, not only with Aidan, but with Anthony [Brown Jr.] and Carter [Bradley]. We're having a ton of fun right now being very competitive, and I think that's only going to make our team better."

It can be tricky to try to form chemistry with your teammates when you're in a position battle with them, but Minshew knows how to approach it.

"I mean, I think as any real competitor, you don't want them to be worse, you want yourself to be better," he said. "So, the better he is -- if I'm beating him out, that just means I'm just raising it that much more. So, that's kind of how I've always viewed it. Like, if he's pushing me and he's completing every pass, I got to figure out a way to do better. So, I think that's the only way to really ever improve."

Overall, Minshew enjoys working with O'Connell.

"I think he's [O'Connell] super smart and he's super accurate," he said. "As a young guy, he really understands football, understands progressions, timing. And it's fun to watch him interact with the guys; he has a ton of energy. And it's just a lot of fun to be around."

Regardless of where Minshew or O'Connell end up in the lineup, they are each very valuable pieces in the Raiders' quarterback room. It's been a while since Las Vegas had a reliable backup -- not including O'Connell -- but it surely will have one now.

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