ESPN insider predicts Aidan O'Connell will win Raiders QB competiton

It’s pretty rare to have a quarterback battle in today’s NFL. Most teams want to have an entrenched starter and build the offense around that player. But several teams in the league have uncertain quarterback situations heading into the season.

In a recent article by Dan Graziano of ESPN, he wrote about five quarterback battles that are currently happening around the NFL. That included the Raiders, who have yet to see one quarterback surpass the other.

Graziano believes that Aidan O’Connell will win the job initially, and that has been the common belief among beat reporters who have been at camp. Here is a snippet of what he had to say about the battle going on in Las Vegas:

I think Pierce will feel enough loyalty to O’Connell to lean his way, and if neither player separates himself during camp, I predict that’s the way the Raiders will go in Week 1. How long O’Connell holds the job will likely depend on whether the team is winning, but it wouldn’t be shocking at all to see both of these guys start games in 2024 — and someone totally different could be starting Week 1 in 2025.

Both O’Connell and Gardner Minshew have struggled with their accuracy early in camp and their performances have not been up to par. But if the competition is close, expect the Raiders to go with the younger player and rely on O’Connell this season.