The Las Vegas Raiders are entering the 2024 NFL season after a mediocre 8-9 season in 2023. During the span of last season, the Raiders went through difficulties and their fair share of drama. Las Vegas fired its head coach and general manager mid-season and turned from a veteran quarterback to a fourth-round rookie quarterback in Aiden O’Connell.
Former interim head coach and now full-time head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Antonio Pierce, took over mid-season and exceeded expectations by taking a 3-5 Raiders team and transforming them into a competitive group. Pierce is a former player and Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants. He connects well with his team and relates to the players as a former player himself.
The Raiders went into this offseason with a win-now mentality. They added veteran Christian Wilkins to an already stacked defensive line. Under new head coach Pierce, the Raiders have made an effort to create an impactful defense. Before Josh McDaniels was fired as the Raiders head coach, the defense ranked 23rd in points allowed per game. After Antonio Peirce took over, the Raiders were first for the remainder of the season in points allowed per game. Adding Wilkins to an already talented group will certainly help disrupt offenses.
The Las Vegas Raiders added Gardner Minshew to the quarterback room, and he is set to compete with Aiden O’Connell. Minshew is a former sixth-round draft pick for the Jacksonville Jaguars. After two seasons with the Jaguars as an off-and-on starter. The Jaguars traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles, where he played for two seasons as a backup. Last year, Minshew started thirteen games for the Indianapolis Colts and earned himself a pro-bowl trip.
Aiden O’Connell was drafted in the fourth round by the Raiders in the 2023 NFL Draft. O’Connell took over for Vegas last season when Josh McDaniels was canned, and Antonio Pierce was appointed head coach. Aiden O’Connell had an up-and-down rookie season but showed promise towards the end of the season. O’Connell finished with 2,218 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns to 7 interceptions.
Howie Long and Tim Brown Talk About QB Battle
Multiple Raider fans have spoken out about the current quarterback situation in Las Vegas. Some favor the young gunslinger Aiden O’Connell, and others support Gardner Minshew. Raider legends Howie Long and Tim Brown also chimed into the conversation.
Raiders legend Howie Long believes that Minshew could be the Raiders’ starting quarterback. He was on the podcast Green Light with Chris Long and said, “O’Connell is a guy that showed some flashes, and I think they’re going to give him every opportunity to be the guy, but I think Minshew is a gamer.”
Long continued to talk about Gardner Minshew, “He’s not a guy that I think impresses you on Wednesday and Thursday, but for whatever reason, whether it’s Jacksonville or when he stopped in Philly and with the Colts — and I think his last two stops both in Philly and the Colts, I think he gained a great deal from both of those stops, personally. I think scheme, system, coaching, all that, and I think if he gets the opportunity, he might not relinquish it.”
While Tim Brown was on the Zach Gelb Show, he said, I think that because Gardner is used to coming off of the bench — you know, that has sort of been his career — they may give the young kid a chance first to go out there and see what he can do for a couple of games.”
As training camp approaches, Raider fans eagerly await the resolution of the quarterback battle between O’Connell and Minshew, hoping to find out who will emerge as the starter.
