Raiders: Ranking the AFC West quarterback groups

3. Las Vegas Raiders 

Heading into the off-season, many members of Raiders Nation looked at Las Vegas as just a quarterback away from making some serious noise as they still have players such as Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby playing at a high level. 

While dreams of Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. kept fans excited throughout the off-season, those players never even got close to the Raiders as they were selected in the top eight picks. So, after not selecting any quarterbacks in the draft, the team now faces an off-season battle between Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. 

Added in the off-season after nearly getting the Colts to the playoffs last year in relief of Anthony Richardson, Minshew’s vibe seems to fit well with what the Raiders are trying to build. However, on the field, he is nothing more than a below-average quarterback who does not have the physical ability to elevate an offense. 

Alongside him is the second-year man out of Purdue Aidan O’Connell who started the bulk of the games last year in Las Vegas as Antonio Pierce handed the keys over to him after the firing of Josh McDaniels. While there were some ups in “AOC’s” rookie year, there were certainly more negatives. 

His arm talent could be better, he is a poor athlete and processes quite slowly. Still, with his innate accuracy and football acumen, he may do enough as a game manager to lead the team to some surprising wins. 

While it isn’t quite as bad of a group as the one in Denver, Las Vegas still has one of the worst quarterback rooms in the league and will have to make a miracle happen to secure a long-term starter at this point.