Raiders ready to begin QB battle as camp opens: ‘Let the best man win’
COSTA MESA, Calif. — Raiders coach Antonio Pierce learned the importance of patience growing up in Southern California, where the beautiful weather is as inevitable as the snarling traffic.
No matter how badly you want to get from point A to point B, sometimes you have to surrender to the jam-packed freeway.
So don’t expect Pierce to be hasty when deciding who the Raiders’ starting quarterback will be Week 1.
“No need to rush it,” Pierce said Tuesday, the day before the team’s first training camp practice.
He will give both second-year pro Aidan O’Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew a fair shot to win the job. Then, the chips will fall where they may.
“Let the best man win,” Pierce said.
He doesn’t have a timeline for his decision. He could name a starter next week or evaluate all of training camp and the preseason. Pierce’s focus is on picking the right guy. He believes he’ll know when it’s time to make the call.
“When it’s right. When it’s obvious,” Pierce said. “Like, ‘OK, like this is a no-brainer.’”
It’s an important choice.
The Raiders’ roster is the best they’ve had since moving to Las Vegas in 2020. They have a strong defense, a bevy of offensive weapons and a new-look offensive line that appears more athletic and physical than last year. The team has a shot to win nine or 10 games if its quarterback can play efficient football.
The Raiders intend to create a training-camp environment that can point Pierce, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and general manager Tom Telesco to the man for the job.
“When it’s clear, when it’s evident, then we need to make that decision and move forward,” Pierce said.
No change in depth chart
Pierce said Tuesday the quarterback pecking order remains the same as it was when the Raiders wrapped up minicamp in early June.
That means O’Connell, who went 5-4 as a rookie last season, is likely to receive the first reps of training camp. But he remains in a dead heat with Minshew, who almost pushed the Colts into the playoffs last year.
The two’s leadership qualities could have a say in what happens. O’Connell is coming out of his shell a little bit more as a sophomore. Minshew brings his own swagger after fighting to stay in the NFL as a sixth-round pick.
“With Gardner, his personality is so unique, so free-spirited,” Pierce said. “But more importantly, a great teammate. He loves to compete. His attitude, his purpose, each and every rep that he takes, you can see that there’s a driven player there that’s always been an underdog. And that’s a good thing for the Raiders because that carries over to the rest of our team and guys feed off of it.”
That alone won’t be enough to make Minshew the starter. Pierce’s mind remains open as he gets ready to begin his first training camp in charge of the franchise he grew up rooting for.
He just knows he needs a decision before the Raiders’ first game against the Chargers on Sept. 8.
“Best player to help the Raiders win games,” Pierce said.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.