It's no secret that Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce is a fan of quarterback Aidan O'Connell. When Pierce took over the Raiders' head coaching duties midway through the 2023 season, he appointed O'Connell as his starting quarterback. The rookie started the Raiders' last nine games, posting a winning record during that stretch.
Pierce has continued to speak glowingly about O'Connell throughout the early stages of the offseason. He said O'Connell earned the right to compete for the Raiders' starting job if Las Vegas decides to draft a quarterback and praised the young QB's mental toughness through what was a challenging rookie season.
Pierce doubled down on his comments on Monday and discussed what he wants O'Connell to improve on this offseason. One area Pierce mentioned is O'Connell's vocal leadership on the field, saying he doesn’t want his QB to be a “church mouse,” per Mike Garafalo.
Pierce also said that O'Connell has been in the building often since the 2023 season ended, a sign that he is committed to sticking as the Raiders' starter in 2024.
Raiders QB plan
As things stand it appears to be O'Connell's job to lose. Pierce immediately turned to the rookie once he was in charge last season and stuck with O'Connell through some very rough performances by both the QB and the Raiders as a whole.
O'Connell showed major improvement toward the end of the season, particularly in the turnover department. After eight turnovers across his first five games (four starts), O'Connell had one in the final six games of his rookie campaign.
His numbers were better across the board during those last six games as O'Connell posted a 93.7 passer rating compared to the 70.6 rating he had in the five games before. O'Connell finished his rookie season with 10 starts, recording an 83.9 passer rating with 2,218 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Raiders went 5-5 in games he started.
Although O'Connell might be the front-runner for the position, the Raiders seem keen on giving themselves some options at quarterback this season. Whether that means they'll spend a first-round pick on a QB is up for debate, but the addition of Gardner Minshew shows that Las Vegas isn’t opposed to having a QB competition during training camp.
Minshew is highly regarded as among the best backup quarterbacks in the NFL and has plenty of experience with 37 starts in his career. He was thrust into a starting role last season with the Indianapolis Colts after starter Anthony Richardson was lost for the year with a shoulder injury. Minshew made 13 starts and nearly led the Colts to the playoffs. He was named a Pro Bowl replacement, earning the first Pro Bowl nod of his career.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if O'Connell and Minshew start games for the Raiders in 2024.
Pierce reflects on Josh Jacobs' departure
While the Raiders have made several eye-opening additions this offseason, the departures of some once-franchise cornerstones are perhaps a bigger talking point on Las Vegas' 2024 so far.
None were bigger than the Raiders saying goodbye to running back Josh Jacobs, who left via free agency for a $48 million deal with the Green Bay Packers. Pierce discussed losing Jacobs on Monday, whom he called the “heartbeat” of the team.
“Don't like to see it. I made it known – the heartbeat, a Raider through and through,” Pierce said, per Paul Gutierrez. “But, as we all know, it's a business. You hear that line…Money talks, BS walks, right? And he had to do what's best for him and his family and I wish him the best, but that one hurt.”
It's never easy losing an All-Pro player, but the Raiders have to navigate the 2024 season without a star running back on their roster. That is just one challenge Antonio Pierce and the Raiders will face in 2024.
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