Las Vegas Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce has announced a quarterback change. It’s now Aidan O’Connell’s job going forward. Gardner Minshew was benched last Sunday during another rough performance. O’Connell was the starting quarterback last season when Pierce was the interim coach. He went 5-5 as the starter last season. In addition, Pierce announced that he spoke with Davante Adams and stated Adams will be returning to the Las Vegas Raiders. He said Adams “is still a Raider. He has never not been a Raider.”
Adams Must’ve Seen the Light
Adams had two key trade destinations in mind that seemed to go up in smoke. The New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets both had tumultuous weeks. The Saints lost starting Quarterback Derek Carr for several weeks due to an injury. Carr was the reason Adams came to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Jets are a circus and fired their Head Coach Robert Saleh, plus Aaron Rodgers has heavily struggled.
With those two teams going off the rails, Adams may have decided to stay with the Las Vegas Raiders. Pierce said, “When he’s healthy and can play, we’ll play him.” It’s also worth noting that Pierce stated that he had a conversation with Adams and they’re all good now. After losing Christian Wilkins to injury, the Las Vegas Raiders needed some good news. Adams’ return is a big boost for the team.
‘AOC’ Is a Better Fit As Quarterback
It’s also worth considering that O’Connell might be a better fit in Luke Getsy’s system. Minshew is a veteran and has more mobility, but struggled with four touchdowns and five interceptions. He threw a 100-yard pick-six that ended up shifting last week’s game in Denver. O’Connell is a better overall passer than Minshew despite only being a second-year player. He’s more willing to stay in the pocket as well.
It’s possible that when Adams spoke to Pierce, he spoke in favor of starting O’Connell over Minshew. Adams had previously admitted to asking for O’Connell to start last season over Jimmy Garoppolo. He also spoke glowingly about O’Connell on an appearance on “Club Shay Shay.” It’s possible that to bring back Adams, the team benched Minshew. Minshew’s bad performance didn’t help keep his job.
Conclusion
It’s hard to say if this will save the season for the Las Vegas Raiders. They have many key players currently on injured reserve and starting Tight End Michael Mayer is missing time due to personal reasons. While they’ve gotten amazing performances from players like Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby, they need more. It’ll be up to Pierce to right the ship going forward and avoid more distractions.
The Las Vegas Raiders need a savior. O’Connell won’t just be asked to manage the team like he was as a rookie. He’s going to have to lead the team. He has to take the job in a way he failed to in the preseason and win. Going 5-5 again isn’t going to inspire confidence. “Raider Nation” demands either a winner or a top draft pick. Adams isn’t going to stick around if the team is directionless as well.
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