Antonio Pierce has more proof the Raiders long-term QB isn’t on the roster

The Las Vegas Raiders officially named Gardner Minshew QB1 over the weekend, which puts the future of Las Vegas' quarterback room under severe scrutiny. This was always the inevitable outcome — Minshew inked a considerable two-year, $25 million contract in the offseason — but there was still lingering hope in the fandom, and perhaps in the locker room, that Aidan O'Connell might emerge with the job.

Instead, the second-year gunslinger will be relegated to the sideline early in the campaign. There's still a chance that O'Connell reemerges if Minshew and the Raiders stumble out of the gate, but it would take serious underperformance from Minshew to shift the QB hierarchy. Minshew has never been particularly exceptional, but he has also never been especially ruinous. He is a bankable, replacement-level quarterback, which is all the Raiders expect of him.

The argument against Minshew is simple. O'Connell is the future of Las Vegas' QB room, whereas Minshew is a temporary stopgap. Even if it costs a few wins this season, getting O'Connell the reps could prove beneficial in the long run. The Raiders aren't winning the Super Bowl this season, so there might as well be some forward thinking, right?

Well... that argument only works if you assume that O'Connell is indeed the future of the Raiders QB room, which he probably is not. In reality, Las Vegas was heavily connected to the likes of J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. prior to April's NFL Draft for a reason. The Raiders ultimately fell outside the range of the top quarterbacks in this draft cycle, but the 2025 draft presents a prime opportunity for Las Vegas to invest in the position.

ESPN's way-too-early 2025 mock draft has the Raiders doing just that.

Raiders select Texas QB Quinn Ewers in ESPN's 2025 NFL mock draft

NFL Draft guru Field Yates expects the Raiders to select Texas Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers with the No. 8 pick. We have no way of actually knowing the draft landscape this far in advance, but Ewers profiles as arguably the best QB prospect on the board. He will have competition, primarily from UGA's Carson Beck and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, but Ewers is a no-nonsense prospect at the helm of an elite offensive unit in Austin.

Yates offers a compelling case for why the Raiders might target Ewers, effectively rendering O'Connell a long-term QB2.

"It's no surprise that the Raiders are linked to a quarterback in Round 1 since the team has gone through a full offseason battle between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew, who are each better suited to be a No. 2 option." he writes. "Las Vegas ranked 26th in QBR last season (40.1) and needs a long-term answer."

He dubs Ewers "a fun study," citing the Texas QB's accuracy on intermediate routes and his ability to change delivery angles for creative throws. The junior was quite productive a season ago, completing 69.0 percent of his passes for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions across 12 games. Going into his fourth and final college campaign, Ewers is an early-season Heisman favorite.

The Raiders have a full season to change their mind, of course. Maybe Minshew takes another leap after his Pro Bowl campaign in 2023. Or, perhaps O'Connell wins the job midseason and outperforms expectations, negating the Raiders' need to target a QB through the draft. The 2025 QB prospect class is not considered particularly strong, so Las Vegas will need to be either supremely confident in its evaluation, or completely desperate for a new arm. Both are entirely feasible as of now.

Antonio Pierce has one goal this season — to win games and cement a long-overdue winning culture in Las Vegas. Minshew is the best bet to win football games right now, and it's far easier to justify the veteran stopgap when your QB of the future isn't on the roster yet.