The Las Vegas Raiders are one of the few teams around the NFL that have yet to make an official decision on who the team’s starting quarterback will be for the 2024-25 season. And on Tuesday, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce outlined exactly what he wants to see before he does make that decision.
Right now, the competition for the starting job is seemingly between Aidan O’Connell, the Raiders starter for the majority of their games this past season, and Gardner Minshew, who the team brought in on a two-year $25 million deal in free agency.
To this point, neither has solidified their claim to the starting job. And on Tuesday, Pierce challenged both quarterbacks to stand out and make the decision “clear and evident” to him.
“I’d like to see… Again, I’m gonna keep saying it… Somebody to just take it and say, ‘I’m the guy, AP.’ Make it clear and evident,” Pierce told reporters on Tuesday. “And then we’ll make that decision at that point.”
To this point in the offseason, the Raiders have not practiced in pads, which Pierce claimed has made it difficult for either candidate to truly stand out.
“I think it’s difficult when we don’t have pads on,” Pierce added. “There’s a lot of things, I’m sure you saw it looked like the defense was winning. But obviously, you hope that will stop now with pads on. A little more resistant. But it goes back to the No. 1 thing is taking care of the ball, putting the team in a position to win. Managing the offense, understanding the operational [elements]. You saw some situational stuff there yesterday. I think our guys are doing a good job. Both quarterbacks are really embracing it. But, again, I’ll just go back to it — somebody has to just separate from the other.”
Of the two quarterbacks, Minshew has been the quarterback who has the more extensive resume as an NFL-caliber quarterback. However, early reports have shared that neither quarterback had looked all that impressive, with Minshew making more “turnover-worthy mistakes”.
[Las Vegas Raiders on YouTube]
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.