Raiders’ long-term future at quarterback stuffed with questions, uncertainty

HENDERSON, Nev. — Aidan O’Connell confronted the Los Angeles Chargers in his NFL debut again on Oct. 1, and issues received, nicely, ugly.

The Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback was sacked seven instances. He fumbled 3 times and misplaced two. O’Connell was additionally picked off as soon as contained in the Chargers’ 5-yard line because the Raiders had been trying to attain a tying landing with slightly greater than two minutes to play within the eventual 24-17 loss.

Guess who’s coming to dinner Thursday? Yeah, Khalil Mack, who had six of his league-leading 15 sacks that day, & Co. (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).

And but …

As ugly as issues received for O’Connell and the Raiders the final time they confronted the Chargers, Sunday’s exhibiting in a 3-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was worse.

A lot worse.

A lot in order that any questions as as to whether O’Connell, the ultimate choose of the fourth spherical in April’s NFL draft, is the Raiders’ future on the place may need been answered. It wasn’t that O’Connell was the rationale Las Vegas fell to a Vikings crew that is virtually as impotent offensively, however the Raiders possible would have gained by three scores with any semblance of competent QB play.

Which makes now, with 4 video games remaining and the Raiders (5-8) nonetheless harboring faint playoff hopes, a effective time to verify in on Las Vegas’ QB quandary going ahead.

However any query about crucial place in crew sports activities solely begets extra queries in terms of the Raiders and units in movement a pseudo choose-your-own-adventure state of affairs.

RAIDERS INTERIM COACH Antonio Pierce has referred to O’Connell as his “BFF,” and using with him to the fateful finish towards the Vikings, regardless of the shortage of offensive spark coming off the bye week, confirmed an uncanny loyalty. Even because the Vikings, in an analogous offensive funk, dared to swap QBs within the fourth quarter. Their substitute, Nick Mullens, gave Minnesota sufficient juice to kick a subject objective to win the lowest-scoring indoor sport in NFL historical past, an consequence Raiders All-Professional receiver Davante Adams referred to as “embarrassing.”

“We knew what [we were going to] get after we put Aidan at quarterback,” Pierce mentioned. “It was going to be some ups and downs, and this was not one in all our higher performances.”

He is proper … to a level.

As a result of after O’Connell put up the second-best QBR (88.6) within the NFL in Week 12 in a loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs, he got here off a bye week to put up a QBR of 16.8 towards the Vikings. His QBRs have ranged from the chic (82.7 towards the New York Giants in Week 9) to the ridiculous — 8.1 towards the Chargers and 20.9 towards the Miami Dolphins in Weeks 4 and 11, respectively.

“I’ve confidence in myself to execute and do my job correctly,” O’Connell mentioned after finishing 21 of 32 passes for 171 yards and a game-sealing interception towards the Vikings.

On the season, he has accomplished 63.8% of his passes for 1,365 yards, 4 landing passes and 7 interceptions in seven video games, six of them begins. The Raiders are 2-4 in his begins in comparison with 3-3 beneath veteran Jimmy Garoppolo and 0-1 with 38-year-old vet Brian Hoyer.

Nonetheless, O’Connell had some high-powered supporters within the locker room earlier than the loss to the Vikings.

“I simply wish to see him go on the market and play,” All-Professional working again Josh Jacobs mentioned. “Do not suppose an excessive amount of. Simply go on the market and sling it. … You do not actually received an excessive amount of to lose. Simply go on the market and have enjoyable, present what you are able to do.”

Adams concurred.

“Simply belief himself and do what he is been doing and do the issues when he had a terrific rhythm within the preseason,” Adams mentioned. “Simply form of remind himself of what he can do and simply hold constructing. It is no stress from any of us and we love him and we’re supporting him by each step of the way in which. I simply need him to be him and be comfy on the market.”

Towards the Vikings, although, O’Connell seemed something however comfy, and it value the Raiders. Sufficient to seemingly reply these powerful questions on crucial place in crew sports activities, proper?

“I have not achieved it adequate, so I’ve received to be higher at doing that,” O’Connell allowed. “However I nonetheless have full confidence in myself to do that. I am studying each week what it takes and dealing extraordinarily exhausting to attempt to put a great product on the sphere. I am not doing it proper now, so I’ve to do higher.”

However for the way lengthy?

MIGHT $72.75 MILLION man Garoppolo, benched within the wake of the Halloween night time firings of coach Josh McDaniels, basic supervisor Dave Ziegler and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi, get one other shot at righting the Raiders’ ship? And even when he does, is he actually the long run if he’s wholesome for the primary time since signing that three-year free-agent deal with $45 million assured in March? Keep in mind, Raiders proprietor Mark Davis little question needed to give his blessing to Garoppolo’s benching.

Garoppolo got here to Las Vegas within the wake of the previous regime kicking nine-year starter Derek Carr to the curb, and, associated or not, after Tom Brady retired … for actual this time. Garoppolo agreed to hitch the Raiders needing surgical procedure on his left foot, and the crew responded by making him signal a waiver that may not pay him a dime till he handed a bodily.

He didn’t take part in any on-field actions in the course of the offseason, however when coaching camp started there he was, bodily handed, taking snaps on the sphere, albeit on a “pitch rely” to progressively convey him alongside. He was the unquestioned starter, and his teammates marveled at his management qualities.

He was a winner, the locker room and training workers crowed, and his 40-17 regular-season document with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers as a starter proved it. His well-documented harm historical past, although, reared its head virtually instantly. Garoppolo’s head bounced off the Allegiant Stadium grass late within the Raiders’ Week 3 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and, regardless of not leaving the sport, he entered the NFL’s concussion protocol and missed the next sport, leading to O’Connell’s debut.

Garoppolo returned the next week to beat the Inexperienced Bay Packers however then suffered a again harm towards the Patriots and was taken to the hospital at halftime for concern of an inside harm. As such, he missed the Week 7 loss on the Chicago Bears, whilst he traveled to Soldier Subject to look at Hoyer battle a lot within the begin that O’Connell relieved him late. Every week later, Garoppolo was pummeled and the Raiders had been embarrassed by the Detroit Lions 26-14 on “Monday Evening Soccer.”

Requested after that sport, during which he was sacked six instances and accomplished 10 of 21 passes for 126 yards with an interception, if he thought he was continually taking part in catch-up due to his offseason surgical procedure and in-season accidents, a weary Garoppolo shrugged.

“Yeah, I imply, I am not,” Garoppolo paused, “I am going to by no means make an excuse like that. It’s what it’s. We’re within the season now. Folks do not care if in case you have excuses or not, so that you simply, you have simply received to go on the market and play. I’ve received to play higher.

“There’s simply a lot love in that locker room, man. It sucks that we carried out like that.”

McDaniels, in the meantime, was requested if he was contemplating a change at quarterback.

“I am not going to speak about that proper now,” McDaniels mentioned. It was his closing official quote as Raiders coach, and fewer than 48 hours later, Pierce introduced O’Connell can be the man going ahead.

Garoppolo was supposed to suit seamlessly in McDaniels’ offense, given their previous collectively in New England. However his 65.5% completion share is the bottom of his profession in any season during which he has began a minimum of six video games, as are his 35.7 Whole QBR and 78.1 passer score. His earlier such lows had been 53.3 and 92.4, respectively. Additionally, Garoppolo’s 9 interceptions had been main the NFL when he was benched, and his 5.4% interception share this season dwarfs his profession common of two.7%.

As such, his future with Las Vegas is murky at finest, the Raiders having already cleared wage cap house by changing $21.3 million of his present base wage right into a signing bonus in September. His base wage of $11.25 million for 2024 is assured for harm solely, so the Raiders danger that by placing Garoppolo on the sphere once more, and he’s assured $33.75 million due to the restructure.

Nonetheless, if the Raiders reduce him earlier than subsequent season, they must eat a wage cap hit of $28.3 million for 2024, except they do it with a post-June 1 designation. Then they’d be capable to cut up the dead-cap hit over two years, $15.5 million in 2024 and $12.8 million in 2025.

IF THE RAIDERS transfer on from O’Connell and Garoppolo, who’s their subsequent QB? Interim basic supervisor Champ Kelly was the Bears’ assistant director of participant personnel once they drafted Justin Fields in 2021, and Fields is perhaps out there in commerce this offseason if the Bears get the No. 1 total choose and select to take a quarterback.

Nonetheless, the one particular person assured to be across the facility come spring might be Davis, and the proprietor prefers a giant quarterback with an even bigger arm and a few mobility who not afraid to increase a play, or 4.

Who would not, proper?

Garoppolo apart, it has been a very long time because the Raiders went the veteran stopgap route, whether or not in free company or making a splashy commerce. However it’s within the franchise’s DNA, virtually as a lot as the colours silver and black.

Paging Jim Plunkett, Jay Schroeder, Jeff Hostetler, Jeff George, Wealthy Gannon, Kerry Collins, Carson Palmer, Jason Campbell.

Clearly, some had extra success than others — far more — however may Davis take a web page from his late father Al’s guide and demand the Raiders go in that course?

Apart from Fields, different vets who could possibly be out there this offseason embrace Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins — who’s coming off a torn Achilles tendon — and Ryan Tannehill.

Once more, select your individual journey, proper?

This train is all up within the air till Davis chooses his new basic supervisor and coach … or sticks with Kelly and/or Pierce. As we noticed with Ziegler and McDaniels, a brand new workers will most assuredly need its personal man. Even Jon Gruden was not offered on Carr at first when he was employed again in 2018 (he had eyes for Murray initially, earlier than going all-in on Carr).

Would possibly it then make extra sense for the long-term well being of the franchise to lose out (not tanking, thoughts you), get a top-five choose and apply it to a real franchise quarterback? Take into accout, the Raiders have used a first-round choose on a QB solely 3 times because the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, and all three — Marc Wilson in 1980, Todd Marinovich in 1991 and JaMarcus Russell in 2007 — set off adverse reminiscences from a weary Raider Nation.

If the Raiders do make a run at USC’s Caleb Williams or North Carolina’s Drake Maye and even LSU’s Jayden Daniels, who has a private reference to Pierce from their time at Arizona State and gave the Raiders interim coach a shoutout upon profitable the Heisman Trophy — who’s making that decision?

If the draft had been held as we speak, the Raiders would maintain the No. 6 choose, in keeping with ESPN’s Soccer Energy Index, and different quarterbacks that would/must be out there there embrace Heisman finalists Michael Penix Jr. (Washington) and Bo Nix (Oregon), and probably J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), who might return to highschool for an additional season.

Now that we give it some thought, hiring Jim Harbaugh as coach may make the McCarthy choice a 2-for-1 factor, proper?

See, solely extra questions.