Raiders Handled Their Quarterback Competition in a Fair Manner

The Las Vegas Raiders announced Gardner Minshew II as their starter following the first two games of the preseason; the Raiders were fair to both quarterbacks during the selection process.

Las Vegas Raiders QBs Aidan O'Connell, Carter Bradley, Gardner Minshew / Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

The Las Vegas Raiders have finally completed their quarterback competition, which has gone on all offseason. On Sunday, Coach Antonio Pierce named Gardner Minshew II as the team’s starting quarterback to begin the season. 

While it seemed that O’Connell was leading Minshew in the competition for most of the offseason, as Minshew did not do much to win the battle definitively, Coach Pierce, General Manager Tom Telesco and Offensive Coordinator Luke Getsy collectively decided Minshew gave the Raiders the best chance to win games.

Pierce said everything was taken into consideration when making the decision.

“It's going to be everything,” Pierce said following the Raiders’ preseason game against the Cowboys. “I'm going to go all the way back to OTAs, minicamp, training camp, two preseason games. Going to be a lot of factors, obviously, right? Command of the offense, the operational part, efficiency. 

“The turnovers is huge, right? That shows up. Taking care of the football is going to be important for our team. I think sitting there with Telesco and Luke over the next couple of days and just really pinpoint who is going to get us off to a fast start and where we want to be in the first quarter of the season.”

In a competition for the team’s starting quarterback that was close the entire time, every little thing mattered. While it appeared that O’Connell was in the lead, as he had taken strides since last season, the interception he threw against the Cowboys, which was returned for a touchdown, likely sealed his fate.

Some may disagree with the decision, but it is impossible to make everyone happy. Who should have won the competition is debatable, but Pierce stayed true to his words. All offseason, he and his coaching staff preached taking care of the football and creating explosive plays. Minshew may not have done much to win the job firmly, but he did not throw an ill-advised interception like O’Connell did against the Cowboys. 

It is the preseason, but O’Connell’s interception came when under pressure, which will undoubtedly happen during the regular season. Minshew did not turn the ball over and regularly created explosive plays in the team’s two preseason games. It wasn’t pretty, but Minshew excelled in two areas the Raiders coaching staff valued the most.

Pierce and the Raiders handled the competition as fair as possible. 

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