Updates: Raiders QB situation
Even though the Raiders did not select a quarterback in the end, they were considering rookie signal-callers right up until the last second. The team was actually better prepared for whatever the draft presented them with thanks to their prior summer decisions.
Gardner Minshew was essentially signed by the Raiders as “insurance” in case they were unable to select one of the top quarterback prospects in the draft, as noted by Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The franchise hired Minshew with the knowledge that the veteran could either be a full-time starter in 2024 or a seat warmer for a first-round quarterback given that free agency occurs a few months before the draft.
In the end, the latter was the case. The Raiders were keen to advance in the draft, as noted by Bonsignore, but their focus was solely on the anticipated top three picks (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, and Drake Maye). The Raiders front staff thought they would be selecting a quarterback from the second round at No. 13, but the Bears, Commanders, and Patriots were not going to give up.
Of course, Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix all cleared the board before the Raiders had a chance to select, so they were never even given the chance to think about reaching. Penix might have been this group’s wild card. The Raiders never thought about moving up the board to grab the quarterback, despite Bonsignore’s observation that nobody knows how the front staff would have moved forward if the Washington product had been available at No. 13.
As a result, Minshew or Aidan O’Connell will take over as the team’s temporary quarterback after the club decided against signing a rookie quarterback. A $25 million contract with a $15 million guarantee is part of Minshew’s two-year agreement. Even though that amount seems excessive for a backup, the Raiders would still be open to exploring alternative options. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, O’Connell was given the opportunity to start, and the former fourth-round pick recorded a 12:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a passer rating of 83.9.
