It appears that the Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Gardner Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract in free agency this offseason to make him the highest-paid backup in the NFL, at least until second-year signal-caller Aidan O’Connell forces head coach Antonio Pierce’s hand.
Pierce told reporters that “Aidan’s [O’Connell] earned the right to go out there and the first snap” during a press conference on Friday. O’Connell showed signs of improvement down the stretch of the 2023 campaign and impressed with his approach to building on that late-season spark despite it being clear Minshew will have opportunities to compete for the starting quarterback job.
Antonio Pierce indicates which Raiders QB will get first crack at starting job
“What he’s [O’Connell] done this offseason — changing his body, his work ethic, being here every day, blocking out the outside noise, not worried about anything. I’m excited,” Pierce said of the 2023 fourth-round pick before turning his attention to Minshew. “Then you bring Gardner in here… you talk about personality… It’s great. It’s great for our building. It’s great for our quarterback room.”
The Raiders were a team rumored to be in the market to trade up for a quarterback during the NFL Draft. They were heavily linked to now-Washington Commanders gunslinger Jayden Daniels because of Pierce’s connection to the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner dating back to their overlapping time at Arizona State, where the latter was a recruiting coordinator. But Las Vegas ultimately stayed put at the No. 13 overall pick and selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
O’Connell filled in admirably when the then-interim coach Pierce turned to him to step in for the struggling/injured veteran Jimmy Garoppolo following Las Vegas’ decision to fire head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager David Ziegler. He guided them to a 5-4 record from Weeks 9-18, throwing for 1,905 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions while boasting an 86.1 passer rating.
However, Minshew is coming off arguably the best year of his career with the Indianapolis Colts this past season, posting a 7-6 record in 13 starts in place of the injured and promising dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson — throwing for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl nod.
During an interview with NFL Network on Thursday, Raiders first-year general manager Tom Telesco said that O’Connell and Minshew will battle for the starting quarterback spot, slightly contradicting Pierce’s comments. So, it will be intriguing to see how this plays out.
Regardless, having multiple capable quarterbacks on the roster is a good problem to have. But Pierce made it crystal clear that O’Connell will have the first crack at solidifying his place atop the depth chart.
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