The Las Vegas Raiders are finally back at OTAs. This week saw many NFL teams get together for the first time following an eventful offseason of moves. Las Vegas added a host of new players to the team and everyone is excited to get going. The Raiders find themselves in a QB battle between second-year player Aidan O'Connell and journeyman Gardner Minshew. O'Connell recently spoke about the QB competition with the media.
O'Connell spoke about the QB battle on a recent episode of The Rush with Maxx Crosby.
“There’s competition everyday in everything we do, but it’s also like at the end of the day, there’s a mutual respect,” O'Connell said. “I mean, my story’s crazy, his story’s crazy too, you know from what he came from and his experience and what he’s been able to carve out in the NFL for himself and the career he’s had. So really there’s nothing but respect both ways for guys that have done it the hard way and to be able to see him do that. I was a big fan of him long before I met him because I heard his story, the crazy stories about him and stuff, so it’s been good to get to know him.”
O’Connell was a walk-on at Purdue before earning the starting job in college. Minshew did not win the Jaguars job in 2019, but had to come off the bench in relief of an injured Nick Foles.
It's not surprising that Las Vegas finds itself in a QB battle this offseason. The Raiders famously chose not to do draft a QB in the 2024 NFL Draft in a year that saw six QB’s drafted in the first round. Instead they decided to select phenomenal Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
Michael Mayer hints at how bad it was to play for Josh McDaniels
The Raiders appear to have changed a great deal since the beginning of last season.
Michael Mayer recently spoke about the differences between playing for head coach Antonio Pierce and former coach Josh McDaniels. He hinted that it wasn't fun to play for McDaniels.
“Last year, maybe there were some days I didn’t wanna come in or something was going down — I flipped the script,” Mayer said, via Matt Ehalt of The New York Post.
Mayer also added that he is “way happier” and “more positive.”
Raiders give Maxx Crosby a raise
Maxx Crosby was threatening a trade request if the Raiders didn't retain head coach Antonio Pierce. Now that they have retained Pierce, Crosby appears locked in for the long haul in Vegas.
The Raiders decided to reward their best player with a $6 million raise in the upcoming 2024 season. They also moved an additional $1.2 million into 2025.
Las Vegas wants to reward their leader and tone setter on defense. He is also one of the best players in the league at an important position, so it makes sense to treat him as well as possible.
The raise did not add new years to his contract, but it is hard to imagine that Crosby won't be a Raider for life.
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