2 winners (and 2 losers) from the Raiders 2024 offseason so far
Losers from the Raiders' 2024 offseason
1. Aiden O'Connell
It's been a tough couple months for O'Connell. He went 5-5 in the 10 games he started last year, throwing for over 2,000 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Those certainly aren't mind-blowing stats, but it's hard to expect a lot more out of a 4th round rookie in a season where you fire your head coach before Halloween. And now he has to go into next year fighting for his job against ... a lifelong journeyman who's getting a game check that's 5X bigger for 1.5X the production. The NFL's a business, but that's cold. Maybe he outshines Minshew in camp and takes the job from him, but it's basically been bad news for O'Connell since last season ended.
2. Harrison Bryant
You'd think that signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal only a few months ago would guarantee you at least a little bit of playing time, but things don't look great for our guy. After the team used their first round pick to take Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, Bryant's realistically already TE3. It's not like he was ever really a threat in the passing game during his 4 years with the Browns, but at this point it feels like he won't even get past his 2023 stat line (13 catches, 81 yards, three touchdowns). Bowers and Michael Mayer are going to be The Guys, and it's not like Bryant's going to take catches away from any of the Raiders' wideouts, either. I'd be looking for a new agent so quickly.