REPORT: Raiders Have One of the Top Position Battles in the NFL

The Las Vegas Raiders enter training camp expecting to decide who their starting quarterback will be. It will be one of the top position battles in the entire National Football League.

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

The Las Vegas Raiders are nearing the beginning of a competition between second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell and newly added veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

Last season, the Raiders offense mainly struggled because of subpar quarterback play. After naming O’Connell the team’s starting quarterback for the second half of the season, the Raiders would go 5-4 down the stretch, including multiple losses that could have easily been wins. 

The wins under O’Connell showed he was a viable option as the team’s starting quarterback. However, those close losses the Raiders suffered with O’Connell as the starter left the door open for a quarterback like Minshew to potentially beat him out for the starting position this offseason.

Jeff Diamond of The 33rd Team notes the competition between the two as one of the top positional battles between the two as one of the top positional battles in the entire National Football League this offseason.

“Aidan O’Connell was the Las Vegas Raiders’ fourth-round pick in 2023 and played reasonably well in 10 starts last season, winning five with an 83.9 passer rating,” Diamond said. “When Antonio Pierce took over as interim coach in midseason, he chose O'Connell to start over Jimmy Garoppolo. That could give O’Connell a slight leg up in the race for starting quarterback, although the team has a new offensive coordinator in Luke Getsy.”

Diamond believes Minshew presents formidable competition for O’Connell. The veteran quarterback had a successful season with the Indianapolis Colts last season. Minshew beat O’Connell and the Raiders last season while both teams still pushed for a playoff spot.

“O’Connell competes with free agent signee Gardner Minshew, who is on his fourth team,” Diamond said. “He entered the league as Jacksonville’s sixth-round pick in 2019 and has made 37 career starts (15-22 record). He’s a quality quarterback with a career passer rating of 90.2, and he almost led the Colts to the playoffs last season (7-6 record in 13 starts).

“Minshew played well enough last season to make the Pro Bowl as an alternate. He signed a two-year, $25 million deal with $15 million guaranteed, so he could either be a highly-paid backup or a low-paid starter. This one could go either way, and it will be interesting to watch this battle unfold.”

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