Antonio Pierce: Aidan O'Connell 'earned' right to compete for starting role even as Raiders consider drafting QB

With the 2024 NFL Draft set to kick off in just over a month, speculation has only intensified as to who will be drafted where, and more importantly, which teams will take the plunge and select a quarterback on the first night of the event.

The Raiders own the No. 13 pick — “a good number” according to head coach Antonio Pierce — putting them in a relatively strong position to draft one of the top quarterbacks of this draft class, if they like. They also could choose to utilize that pick on other positions of need, but no matter what that initial selection is used for, Pierce isn’t shying away from acknowledging that the draft is likely the best place to fill out Las Vegas’ quarterback room.

“Well, you know you can’t have two quarterbacks on the roster, right? So, we know we have to add some,” Pierce said Sunday in an interview with NFL Network’s Steve Wyche from the Annual League Meeting. “The next wave is the draft. So we’ll see.”

After a 2023 season which was defined by uncertainty and changes at the quarterback position, sorting out the position needs to be one of the first steps for Pierce in his first season as head coach.

Right now the Raiders’ roster includes Aidan O’Connell, who took over the starting role midway through the season after Pierce’s appointment as then-interim HC, along with recently-signed Gardner Minshew, who led the Colts to a 7-6 record as starter last year and earned a Pro Bowl nod.

If Las Vegas chooses to add another face into the mix through the draft, Pierce said he will be leaning on general manager Tom Telesco in selecting the right player for this Raiders team, knowing his experience with scouting the position.

“I got Tom Telesco in there. Got the magician. Figure out what he’s got up his sleeve,” Pierce said. “He’s done it for a long time. I got a lot of trust in him. I think he’s seen it wherever he’s been. Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, becomes a GM with the Chargers, Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert. So he knows something about quarterbacks. So I’m going to let him figure it out.”

Whether that added quarterback will end up taking the starting role or backing up O’Connell will likely be determined throughout the course of the summer, with Pierce acknowledging that O’Connell’s play through a turbulent 2023 season has earned him at least a shot of retaining the QB1 role.

“At the end of the day, listen, Aidan O’Connell played his ass off. He did a helluva job for us,” Pierce said. “You’re talking about a kid that has the mental toughness to play in the National Football League. Whatever happens and whatever we do it has to go through Aidan O’Connell. Being honest with you because he’s earned that right.”

Whether the imminent quarterback battle involves a first-round selection or not is yet to be determined, but Pierce said that no matter what, creating a high level of competitive energy in the locker room is the goal, believing stronger players will come out the other side.

“Like anybody else it’s all about competition,” he said. “And if we can make that room the most competitive room on our team, the quarterback room, we’ll be a good football team.”