The Las Vegas Raiders are heading into the offseason with Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew competing for the starting quarterback job. It remains to be seen who will win the starting job but there’s no denying the team has one of the weaker quarterback rooms in the NFL.
In fact, Pro Football Focus recently said the Raiders had the weakest quarterback room in the league. There aren’t a lot of options left with the draft in the past but Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report believes that the team could reconsider Justin Fields. He pitched a trade that would have the Raiders send the Pittsburgh Steelers a 2025 third-round and a 2025 sixth-round for Fields and a 2025 sixth-round pick.
“Aidan O’ Connell can talk up the opportunity he’s being given in Las Vegas, but the reality is that if his rookie season was any indication, he’s a low-ceiling option under center,” Davenport wrote in a May 21 column. “Gardner Minshew II is a fun player to watch, but he’s a career backup.
“If the Raiders are serious about competing in the AFC West this season, Fields would be a sizable upgrade at the game’s most important position. Meanwhile, the Steelers can get substantially more back for the 25-year-old than they gave up for him.”
Why Would Las Vegas Raiders Give up 3rd-Round Pick?
Unfortunately, this trade from Davenport makes close to zero sense whatsoever. Why would the Raiders give up a third-round pick to add Fields when the Steelers just got him for a conditional sixth-round pick? If the team felt strongly about the quarterback, they could’ve added him for a similar price Pittsburgh paid months ago.
It’s not like Fields has played any games yet and has proven that he’s more valuable. Plus, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy knows the quarterback well after calling plays for him the last two years with the Chicago Bears. If he felt that Fields was an upgrade over what the Raiders currently have at quarterback, he likely would’ve pushed the team to add him months ago. Getsy was fired in large part due to Fields’ lack of development in Chicago.
The Raiders wouldn’t have hired him as offensive coordinator if they thought that Getsy was the problem in Chicago and not Fields. Perhaps he could make sense in Las Vegas if he hits free agency but the team already had a chance to trade for him and didn’t.
What PFF Said About Las Vegas Raiders QB Room
Minshew and O’Connell have proven they can be capable starters but there’s just a lot of good quarterback talent in the NFL. The biggest issue with the team’s quarterback room is that there really isn’t much athletic upside.
John Kosko of Pro Football Focus explained why the Raiders’ quarterback room is the worst in the NFL.
“Unfortunately for the Raiders, they live in a division dominated by two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL,” Kosko wrote in a May 13 column. “While the division rival Denver Broncos were in contention for this spot, Las Vegas did very little to improve the room for the 2024 season. Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell will compete for the starting job, which doesn’t spark much excitement for a fanbase that has yet to see a legit contender in Vegas.”
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