The Las Vegas Raiders open the 2024 season on the road in Los Angeles to take on the Chargers, and it will be the third year in a row that the team trots out a new Week 1 starter at the quarterback position.
After a grueling training camp and preseason, head coach Antonio Pierce named Gardner Minshew the starting quarterback over Aidan O'Connell, who had a solid end to his rookie campaign in 2023.
Minshew signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Raiders in March after nearly leading the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs in 2023 while tossing 15 touchdowns to nine interceptions with an 84.6 passer rating.
Minshew and O'Connell don't inspire much confidence, but Pro Football Network's Dallas Robinson has an absurd take about the two signal-callers. Robinson ranked the Raiders' quarterback situation as the worst in the NFL and didn't hold back when assessing the duo.
Minshew benefitted from working under Colts head coach/offensive play-caller Shane Steichen, who helped Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts thrive before coming to Indy in 2023. In Vegas, Minshew’s OC is Luke Getsy, who struggled to devise a suitable plan for Fields and the Chicago Bears over the past two seasons.
O’Connell improved over Jimmy Garoppolo and showed impressive traits, including movement within the pocket and a willingness to push the ball vertically. Still, O’Connell’s long-term ceiling is probably as a QB2, not a starting-level passer.
The Raiders have the NFL’s worst quarterback situation. When a team is in this position, it typically cycles through multiple options. Minshew and O’Connell will likely both see time in 2024, but neither should be expected to be Las Vegas’ starter in 2025.
Though Minshew and O'Connell were disappointing during training camp and the preseason and likely aren't the long-term answers at the quarterback position for Las Vegas, the Raiders' quarterback situation isn't the worst in the NFL.
Teams like the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants have worse situations, as the Vikings will be starting Sam Darnold, and the Giants are paying a below-average quarterback in Daniel Jones over $40 million per season.
Along with the Vikings and Giants, teams with unproven or rookie quarterbacks could also be ranked higher than the Raiders. The Washington Commanders , Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots are just a few teams in those situations.
Ultimately, Las Vegas' quarterback situation is in the bottom 10, as neither Minshew nor O'Connell will establish themselves as the franchise quarterback this season, and the Raiders will be targeting a signal caller in free agency or the draft next offseason. But there are some teams with more uncertainty and worse quarterback situations in 2024.
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