Just in: Raiders coach Pierce publicly calls Mark Davis.....

Just in: Raiders coach Pierce calls Mark Davis for serious change of Quarterback after some…

The Raiders of Las Vegas In order to compete with Aidan O’Connell, coach Antonio Pierce made it known in the open that the Raiders plan to recruit another quarterback to their squad.

For many seasons, the quarterback position for the Las Vegas Raiders has been a contentious one.

The Raiders looked to rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell to lead the team through the second half of the season after a turbulent season that saw Coach Josh McDaniels fired and experienced quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo benched halfway through the season.

When O’Connell gets more playing time, he experiences the typical ups and downs that rookie quarterbacks experience. Though O’Connell’s low points were not as low as Garoppolo’s earlier in the season, they were nonetheless rather high given the circumstances surrounding his ascent to the starting lineup.

O’Connell was good overall down the stretch, but not great. Some have wondered if the Raiders’ starting quarterback for next season is on their roster.

Heading into next season, Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce plans to let O’Connell compete for the starting position with a quarterback who isn’t on the roster. Pierce publicly confirmed the team will bring in another quarterback in the offseason.

“I think Aidan O’Connell put himself into a position that whoever we bring in, he should battle,” Pierce said on The Rich Eisen Show. “I’m all about competition. That would take care of itself. But Aidan O’Connell, as the season went along, I thought, did an outstanding job of taking care of the football, managing the game, and doing what we asked him to do.

“I said it in one of my pressers: I didn’t need Aidan to go out there and win a game, I didn’t need him to throw for 400 yards and put up these magical numbers. I just needed him to play to our strengths. At that time of the season, at the end, our strength was the defense. So, Aidan did just that.

We have already made a few adjustments to the offensive end of the ball. We’ll definitely use a quarterback in some form, as you are aware, and we’ll let those men go to combat. One thing about Aidan, I’ll tell you: he’s intelligent and competitive. We’ll let the best man prevail, and I don’t think he’ll give up easily.”
In order to bolster their quarterback room, the Raiders will now go to the draft or free agency. With another offseason and six months of professional experience under his belt, O’Connell should be the clear favorite to start next season.

The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 25–27, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan. The No. 13 overall pick is presently in the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders.