Reporter updates Raiders' Gardner Minshew, Aidan O'Connell situation amid Davante Adams trade talk

The Las Vegas Raiders could soon begin the next stage of their needed roster rebuild by trading wantaway star wide receiver Davante Adams.

One might think that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce could want to spend a significant portion of the season evaluating second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler suggested on Wednesday that fans should expect veteran Gardner Minshew "to remain the Raiders' starting quarterback" for at least the next couple of weeks.

"The Raiders are taking the season by quarters," Fowler explained, "and they knew Minshew would be better for the first quarter because of the elite pass rushes they faced. He's more mobile than Aidan O'Connell. Who's better for the second and third quarters? Minshew's play could determine that, given he will probably remain the starter after Sunday's win over [the Cleveland Browns]."

It was thought Pierce could turn to O'Connell after the Raiders suffered an embarrassing 36-22 Week 3 loss to a winless Carolina Panthers side. Pierce instead stayed with Minshew, and the journeyman completed 14-of-24 passes for 130 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions against Cleveland to help the Raiders improve to 2-2.

According to Pro Football Reference, Minshew heads into Week 5 ranked 26th in the NFL among qualified players with a 41.5 adjusted QBR, 20th with an 88.7 passer rating, sixth with a 70.7% completion percentage and tied for 18th with a 44.9% passing success rate on the season. He tossed three touchdown passes and three interceptions over his first four starts.

Fowler added that Las Vegas' quarterback situation "seems very fluid," partly because the club appears headed toward a divorce with its best offensive weapon (Adams). The Raiders reportedly explored moving up in this year's draft order to land current Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels but could not complete such a trade. Logic suggests Las Vegas will again be interested in spending a high draft pick on a signal-caller next spring.

As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Raiders as 2.5-point underdogs for this Sunday's game at the 2-2 Denver Broncos. Minshew will get the nod for that matchup but will likely need to start throwing some touchdown passes to remain atop the depth chart through the end of this month.