Raiders' O'Connell Has Been 'Big Fan' of Fellow QB Gardner Minshew II

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell will be battling Gardner Minshew II for the starting spot this offseason, but that doesn't mean he won't have respect for his new teammate.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell is going to have a completely different quarterback room around him this coming season, one that includes veteran Gardner Minshew II.

O'Connell and Minshew are sure to have a competitive battle for the No. 1 quarterback spot, but O'Connell has great respect for the man he will be going toe-to-toe with in training camp.

With O'Connell entering just his second season, he's quite familiar with Minshew and his history in this league. Like O'Connell, Minshew had to step up and become a starter in his first season as well, despite having been just a sixth-round draft pick.

"It's been great [having Minshew]," O'Connell told reporters on Monday. "Obviously, I've heard stories about Gardner [Minshew] for a long time, and been a big fan of his actually for a long time because of his story and how he got to where he was. And so, obviously, a guy that just loves football and loves being around the guys. And so, it's been fun to get to grow that relationship.

"I think being in the quarterback room, it's super important to have good guys around you. And I was super lucky with Jimmy [Garoppolo] and Brian [Hoyer] last year to have two guys that supported me and helped me, and also were fun guys to be around, and I definitely feel that with Gardner."

O'Connell lost some veteran presence in the quarterback room when Las Vegas released Garoppolo and Hoyer this offseason, but he got it back with Minshew, who is going on his sixth NFL season.

Of course, whether it's only O'Connell and Minshew competing for the head spot is to be determined, as the Raiders will have to decide if they take a quarterback in next week's draft.

Whatever happens, Raider Nation is sure to get an epic quarterback battle in training camp, as both O'Connell and Minshew have starting experience in big-time games. They each are more than capable of leading the offense.

Minshew is now with his fourth NFL franchise, having had stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @HondoCarpenter and IG @HondoSr and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.