Could The Raiders Trade One Of Their Quarterbacks Midseason?

The Las Vegas Raiders don’t exactly have an enviable situation under center, as Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew will be competing for the starting quarterback job in training camp.

Some are higher on O’Connell than others, but based on everything head coach Antonio Pierce has said throughout the offseason, it doesn’t appear the Raiders view him as their franchise quarterback.

Could Las Vegas’ shaky signal-caller situation prompt the team to potentially trade one of O’Connell or Minshew in the middle of the 2024 NFL campaign?

Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks so.

Ballentine named the Raiders as a club that could potentially sell off some pieces this coming season, and O’Connell and Minshew were two of the names that made the list of possible trade chips.

Ballentine notes that Minshew could be a very valuable piece for a team dealing with a quarterback injury and that some other squad may have interest in O’Connell as a “developmental backup.”

Will the Raiders contend in 2024?

There was a lot of hype surrounding the Raiders during the second half of last season, as Pierce displaced Josh McDaniels as the team’s head coach and led Las Vegas to a 5-4 record under his direction.

The Raiders played a refreshing brand of smashmouth football with Pierce at the helm in 2023, highlighted by a Christmas win over the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

But can we really expect a whole lot out of Las Vegas in 2024?

The fact of the matter is that the Raiders have a lot of holes on their roster, and outside of wide receiver Davante Adams, they don’t have much proven talent offensiely.

Las Vegas did select tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th pick of the NFL Draft, and while Bowers has been labeled a generational prospect by many, he has yet to play a snap on the professional level yet.

The Raiders also lost running back Josh Jacobs in free agency.

Pierce’s group did pick up defensive lineman Christian Wilkins to bolster the defensive front, but again, you have to wonder how Las Vegas is going to score points come September.

Perhaps O’Connell will surprise everyone by playing some impressive football this coming season. He did end his rookie campaign on a high note, after all.

But until we see more out of O’Connell on a consistent basis, it will be hard to put a saddle on the Raiders heading into 2024.

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