From 2014-2022, the Las Vegas Raiders had Derek Carr as the starting quarterback. He provided stability to a position that had been in chaos since 2003. Before Carr’s arrival, the Raiders went through 14 quarterbacks in 10 seasons. Since his departure in 2022, they’re now onto quarterback number five. Gardner Minshew is taking the starting job and hopes to be more than just a bridge quarterback.
Head Coach Antonio Pierce had expressed optimism about finding a new franchise quarterback this offseason. It’s the most important position on the team. With the team finally having a solid defense, they need a solid quarterback.
They Had No Plan for a Replacement
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While the Derek Carr/Josh McDaniels relationship did need to come to an end, the problem was they never had a good replacement plan. McDaniels and Dave Ziegler believed that McDaniels’ relationship with Tom Brady would be enough to convince the future Hall of Famer to join the Las Vegas Raiders. Instead, he retired, and Carr turned down a potential reunion after he was benched for Jarrett Stidham.
Stidham left for Denver, and the team did not trade up for a quarterback after giving a massive contract to Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo is now a Ram, and during the year was replaced by Aidan O’Connell and Brian Hoyer. It was obvious the doomed administration had no good plans at all, they just threw random ideas at a wall and hoped for the best.
Minshew/O’Connell Might Not Be The Solution
The biggest hole on the entire roster has to be quarterback. The Las Vegas Raiders still have not adequately solved their quarterback issues since getting rid of Carr. Antonio Pierce said that the team couldn’t rely anymore on “stopgaps” at the quarterback position, but Minshew appears to be another stopgap.
When you’re in the same division as Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes, it’s hard to win consistently against both teams. While the Las Vegas Raiders have built a solid defense behind Maxx Crosby, the offense appears to be holding the team back. Minshew needs to elevate his game to the next level to get this team into the playoffs and avoid the wraith of “Raider Nation.”
Davante Adams Deserved Better
Davante Adams has been vocal that he came to the Las Vegas Raiders to play with Carr. He left Aaron Rodgers and a solid situation in Green Bay and jumped instead into a situation that resembles the Raiders he grew up rooting for. For a potential future Hall of Famer, he certainly deserves a better situation.
While there is some optimism that Minshew can provide stability to the position, he’s also not a rookie. O’Connell is the backup and is in his second year, but he’s already 26 years old. The Raiders need to get a franchise-caliber quarterback for their superstar receiver to maximize their offense’s potential.
How Luke Getsy Can Maximize Minshew
Luke Getsy is coming over from a situation in Chicago where the offense struggled under Justin Fields. Minshew is a better passer than Fields and a lot less of a runner. At the same time, he still has a lot more mobility in his game than O’Connell does. While the Raiders are going to run the ball the majority of the time with two tight end sets, there are good ways to get Minshew going in the passing game.
Minshew doesn’t like to stay in the pocket, so having an offense centered around a moving pocket might prove useful for him. Having plenty of rollouts and bootlegs would allow him to improvise in the passing game which is something he does more than anybody else. He’s formed a great rapport in the preseason with Tre Tucker as well and building on that relationship will be huge.
Next Year’s Draft May Provide Solutions
If the Las Vegas Raiders are somehow not in the playoffs, then there will be more questions than answers. If that’s the case, then “Raider Nation” can look ahead to next year’s draft for potential answers. This seems destined to be another deep quarterback draft class with several top candidates for their next franchise quarterback.
Jalen Milroe from Alabama should garner some major consideration. Carson Beck from Georgia is another proven winner who is familiar with Las Vegas Raiders rookie Brock Bowers. Other big names for Raiders fans to watch include Cam Ward, Sheduer Sanders, and Quinn Ewers.
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