The Raiders will have a good old-fashioned quarterback competition heading into training camp. It’s been a long time since the Raiders have had a QB battle, but that will be the case this year as Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will compete for the starting job.
But will that quarterback room be good enough for the Raiders to get back to the postseason in 2024? In a recent ESPN article, Dan Graziano discussed every team’s biggest question at the quarterback position heading into the 2024 season.
For the Raiders, that was if the Raiders could still win with subpar QB play and if their next franchise quarterback is on the roster or still in college:
Of all the teams that absolutely needed to draft a quarterback in the first round, the Raiders are the only one that didn’t get it done. So right now, it looks like a camp competition between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell to be Las Vegas’ starter. That’s not exactly the most exciting race.
Antonio Pierce’s Raiders are going to want to win by running the heck out of the ball and playing great defense, and they may not have much choice until next year, when they get another chance to answer their long-term quarterback question in free agency and/or the draft.
The Raiders will do everything possible to minimize the importance of the quarterback position this year. They will try to stay balanced on offense and lean on their defense to win games. But in all likelihood, the next franchise quarterback for the Raiders isn’t on the roster. And that puts a bit of a damper on their long-term outlook.