Getty Las Vegas Raiders QB Aidan O'Connell.
There’s been a lot of speculation about who will be the Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback in 2024 but Aidan O’Connell isn’t talked about much as an option. He started 10 games for the team last season and went 5-5 as a rookie.
One person who isn’t ruling out O’Connell’s chances of starting is head coach Antonio Pierce. He was impressed with the young quarterback last season but knows there are things he needs to work on.
“Taking care of the football,” Pierce said of O’Connell during his March 25 media availability. “Managing the game. Putting points on the board. … I think he’s done a great job this offseason of being in the building, staying in the Las Vegas area and working on himself. One thing I’d love to see him do is be more vocal. You don’t want the quarterback being a church mouse. I don’t need him being a rah-rah guy, either, but when things are wrong, I need him to fix it and be vocal about it.”
O’Connell was third on the quarterback depth chart all of last offseason and he likely didn’t envision he’d be thrust into a leadership role as a rookie. If he can take in Pierce’s advice and develop into a stronger leader, that will help his chances of being the starter quite a bit.
Antonio Says Gardner Minshew Is ‘Culture Fit’
The Raiders added a quarterback who has no problem being loud in Gardner Minshew. The team gave him a two-year, $25 million contract in free agency so he should have a leg-up on the starting job.
Antonio Pierce explained why the team signed Minshew.
“Aidan did a hell of a job last year, but like any other position on our team, we want to make that as competitive as possible,” Pierce said. “One thing about Gardner, as you’ve seen throughout his career, he finds a way. That’s going to make our room better. He’s been through a lot of adversity. You want that experience, as well, in there. So, to me, it was a good fit. It’s a culture fit. That’s a wild boy right there.”
The Raiders could also draft a quarterback early, who will eventually be the starter but O’Connell and Minshew give the team some flexibility for now.
Antonio Pierce Understanding Process of Finding QB
Antonio Pierce has been honest about the fact that the Raiders need to find a difference-maker at quarterback. Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew have proven to be capable starters but they’re not the types of quarterbacks who can win games on their own.
While Pierce still wants to find his franchise quarterback, he understands that he must be patient and isn’t going to force the issue.
“Initially, I’m always going to be like, ‘I want to get it done now,’” Pierce said of the quarterback need. “I’ve always said when you’re in this position, you’re racing time. … You want to win now. You want to put the best together now, but you also understand it’s a process.”
The worst thing the Raiders can do is try to build around a rookie quarterback for the sake of doing it. They need to ensure they find the right one.