The Las Vegas Raiders have been criticized plenty this offseason for their lack of major action at the quarterback position. The team did sign Gardner Minshew in free agency, but Las Vegas did not draft a quarterback of the future in the 2024 NFL Draft.
That means the starting job is between Minshew, who inked a two-year, $25 million deal this offseason, and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O'Connell, who showed some promise last year but is largely a wild card.
What these two quarterbacks have going for them is the fact that they have a good supporting cast, especially when it comes to pass-catchers. That could help elevate Minshew to a new level than the one we've seen out of him during his career, and O'Connell could also thrive if he takes that next step.
Because of their current situation, Pro Football Focus' John Kosko believes the Raiders' quarterbacks room is the weakest in the NFL. Here's his take:
Unfortunately for the Raiders, they live in a division dominated by two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. While the division rival Denver Broncos were in contention for this spot, Las Vegas did very little to improve the room for the 2024 season. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will compete for the starting job, which doesn't spark much excitement for a fanbase that has yet to see a legit contender in Vegas.
It's definitely too harsh to call the Raiders' quarterbacks room the weakest in the NFL. After all, Minshew and O'Connell should be serviceable, at best, and teams have won with far worse situations than what the Raiders currently have.
Now, that's not to say Las Vegas' situation is terrible or anything like that, but we'll just call it less than ideal.
Adding to all that, there are several teams out there that could be starting rookies. It's tough to call any of those rooms stronger than Las Vegas' until we see those rookies prove they are better than either one of the two Raiders signal-callers.
Could things be better under center in Las Vegas? Certainly, but calling the Raiders' quarterbacks room the weakest in the NFL is too much.
