Getty Antonio Pierce & Mark Davis of the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Las Vegas Raiders are down a quarterback with the news that Gardner Minshew has broken his collarbone and will miss the rest of the season. However, the timing of the injury was interesting as a big-name quarterback just hit the open market.
Former New York Giants starting quarterback Daniel Jones cleared waivers on Monday and is free to sign anywhere. The Raiders may be his easiest path to getting another starting job but that doesn’t appear to have much appeal to him.
According to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz, Las Vegas was interested in signing Jones, but he has “eliminated” them as a possibility. The quarterback prefers to join a team that’s still in the playoff mix, per Schultz. At 2-9, the Raiders essentially don’t have any chance of making the playoffs.
That said, it’s still a tough pill to swallow for Las Vegas. Jones would rather be a backup for a team like the Baltimore Ravens than play for the Raiders. While it’s not going to work out this time around, it’s possible that Jones could reconsider Las Vegas in the offseason. Even if they draft a quarterback in the first round, they may bring in a veteran who can start in case the rookie isn’t ready by Week 1.
Aidan O’Connell Likely to Start in Week 13
Luckily for the Raiders, they are getting one quarterback back from injury following the Minshew news. Aidan O’Connell has been on Injured Reserve since he broke his thumb against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7.
He was the starting quarterback at the time of the injury and likely would’ve been playing over Minshew had he not gotten hurt. O’Connell returned to practice this week and the Raiders aren’t giving him time to ramp things up. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the team is planning for O’Connell to start in Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s a big ask to have O’Connell return from injury and play on a short week against the defending Super Bowl champions but the Raiders don’t have much of a choice. Desmond Ridder hasn’t played well in his brief appearance and it’s clear head coach Antonio Pierce doesn’t trust him. O’Connell will likely be the starter for the rest of the season unless he gets hurt again.
Signing Daniel Jones Wouldn’t Have Made Much Sense
Jones rejecting the Raiders is likely the best thing for them. The team is far better off seeing what they have in O’Connell and Ridder for the rest of the season. Jones also wasn’t playing any better than Minshew this season, which is why the Giants cut him.
The Raiders currently hold the No. 3 pick in the draft, according to Tankathon, and they’d be far better off holding that position. Winning a couple of meaningless games down the stretch hurts the team far more than it helps them.
O’Connell is only in his second season so it’s possible that he could still have some upside. Jones is a known commodity and wouldn’t have been a big upgrade for the Raiders. They’ll now get a better chance to evaluate what O’Connell can do.
