The Las Vegas Raiders have some hope that they’re finding a way out of the wilderness they have been seemingly stuck in for the past 20 years.
In Antonio Pierce, they have a young and inexperienced but likable head coach whom their players want to play for and follow, which is a breath of fresh air after the inept tenure of former head coach Josh McDaniels.
The Raiders do, however, have a hole at the quarterback position, where Aidan O’Connell, their incumbent starter, is trying to hold off new arrival Gardner Minshew II.
In two years with the Raiders, star wide receiver Davante Adams has played with a number of signal-callers, but he told Shannon Sharpe on “Club Shay Shay” that he’s sold on O’Connell.
Davante Adams On Raiders QBs Entering The Season (Aidan O’Connell vs Gardner Minshew)
“I do believe in Aidan. … I’ve always been a big advocate for him.” – @tae15adams pic.com/y8MyDIrF8x
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) July 17, 2024
Adams pointed to O’Connell’s experience running the offense last season as an advantage he has over Minshew, who played for the Indianapolis Colts in 2023.
O’Connell took over under center at midseason when veteran Jimmy Garoppolo was benched, and though he wasn’t terrible during his rookie season, he wasn’t impressive either.
In 11 games, 10 of which he started, he threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 62.1 percent of his pass attempts and posting an 83.9 passer rating.
If Las Vegas gets its hands on a legitimately good QB one way or another, it could be a competitive team.
Adams remains one of the NFL’s best wide receivers and is surrounded by a very nice WR2 in Jakobi Meyers, a potential-laden rookie in tight end Brock Bowers, and one of the game’s best pass rushers in Maxx Crosby.
