Aidan O’Connell will get 1st snap of QB battle with Gardner Minshew

HENDERSON, Nev. — Whereas the Las Vegas Raiders’ Jayden Daniels-or-bust recreation plan ended with out the rookie, their pending quarterback battle between the returning Aidan O’Connell and veteran free agent signee Gardner Minshew has an early chief.

“Aidan’s earned the appropriate to go on the market and earn the primary snap,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce stated Friday. “What he is completed this offseason — altering his physique, his work ethic, being right here each day, blocking out the skin noise. He isn’t fearful about something. I am excited.

“Then you definitely convey Gardner in right here … speak about persona. … It is nice. It is nice for our constructing. It is nice for our quarterback room. And for those who bought competitors within the quarterback room, what does each different room take a look at?”

The Raiders had been closely linked to Daniels, as Pierce introduced him to Arizona State when he was the Solar Devils’ recruiting coordinator. However the Washington Commanders have been set on the Heisman Trophy winner who had transferred to LSU and chosen Daniels with the No. 2 general decide.

By the point the Raiders have been on the clock at No. 13, six quarterbacks had been drafted. Las Vegas went with one of the best participant out there on its board and took three-time All-America tight finish Brock Bowers out of Georgia.

Raiders common supervisor Tom Telesco stated after the draft that no commerce alternative to maneuver up arose within the first spherical and that that they had little interest in drafting a quarterback after Day 1.

As a substitute, O’Connell and Minshew have been regular presences on the Raiders’ facility all through the offseason exercise program. The Raiders even have two different quarterbacks on the roster in Anthony Brown Jr. and undrafted rookie Carter Bradley, who signed out of South Alabama after the draft.

“What I see is guys getting on the market early,” Pierce stated. “Aidan is already type of taking the bull by the horn and he is main the best way, and Minshew’s proper there doing it as properly. Two guys that performed in opposition to one another final yr, they went neck to neck. However I am actually excited to see what occurs. I feel it is going to be a course of. We’ll stick with the method.”

O’Connell was the ultimate decide of the fourth spherical in 2023, at No. 135 general. He changed a concussed Jimmy Garoppolo in a Week 4 loss on the Los Angeles Chargers after which once more — this time for good — after Pierce was elevated to interim coach within the wake of the Halloween night time firings of coach Josh McDaniels and common supervisor Dave Ziegler.

O’Connell went 5-5 in 10 begins as a rookie and threw eight landing passes with out an interception within the Raiders’ closing 4 video games. He accomplished 62.1% of his passes for two,218 yards with 12 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 11 video games, ending with an 83.9 passer ranking and a QBR of 40.5. Mobility and pocket consciousness have been points every so often, as he was sacked 24 instances.

Minshew, in the meantime, is on his fourth crew in 5 years. He went 7-6 for the Indianapolis Colts final season, together with a New Yr’s Eve win over O’Connell and the Raiders, and had 3,305 passing yards with 15 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

“Aidan has a sure factor mentally the place he blocks out outdoors noise. He would not fear about it,” Pierce stated. “I am positive he reads, like all of us do, however when he involves work, he is targeted, he is ready, he research, he places the time in. There’s been conversations that we have had that I’ve seen him develop on this brief time frame within the offseason. I am actually excited to see Aidan as we undergo OTAs, minicamp and coaching camp.”