The Las Vegas Raiders failed to land what many would consider a difference-maker at the quarterback position this offseason. The team signed Gardner Minshew and has Aidan O'Connell coming back, but neither inspire much confidence, both in the media and with fans.
More evidence of the former comes from Bleacher Report's Alex Kay, who called the Raiders not landing a franchise quarterback one of the six worst offseason decisions in the NFL.
The other five were the Chicago Bears overpaying safety Kevin Byard, the Dallas Cowboys bringing running back Ezekiel Elliott back, the Carolina Panthers' return in the trade involving edge rusher Brian Burns, the Los Angeles Rams' overpay in their draft trade-up, and the Atlanta Falcons drafting quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Here's Kay's thoughts on the Raiders' lack of significant action at quarterback:
The Raiders' inability to land such a quarterback could cost them dearly. Incumbent Aidan O'Connell—who was thrust into the lineup as a fourth-round rookie last year—and Minshew are now set to compete for the starting job in training camp. That uninspiring battle likely won't result in many wins regardless of who claims the job.
The Raiders now field the weakest quarterback room in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. For a team in the same division as the Kansas City Chiefs (whom PFF ranked as having the league's best quarterbacks), that's an especially painful position to be in.
Had Las Vegas been more aggressive this offseason, it would be in far better shape for the future—whether that was with Cousins in the lineup or a rookie developing behind MInshew. The Raiders are now a strong candidate to struggle in 2024, with little in the way of quarterback prizes to be excited about in the 2025 draft class.
While we can't say for sure in terms of free agency, the Raiders did have a plan to try and trade up for a quarterback in the first round, things just didn't pan out for them, something general manager Tom Telesco admitted.
However, the Raiders did have ample opportunity to take a quarterback later on but decided not to, because as Telesco put it, there simply wasn't anyone they felt would or could be better than what they already have.
"If we felt there was a quarterback out there that was better than what we had or could potentially be better, certainly would've done something about it," he said.
If we're looking at the glass half full, Minshew is going to have the best supporting cast he's ever had in terms of offensive weapons, and the jury is still out on how good O'Connell could be as he enters his second season after getting some experience in 2023.
It's not crazy to think either one could exceed expectations in 2024 and help the Raiders to the playoffs with a big assist from the defense. But first, one will have to claim the starting job, which they'll do in training camp starting in July.
