COSTA MESA, Calif. — Raiders coach Antonio Pierce learned the importance of patience growing up in Southern California, where the beautiful weather is as inevitable as the snarling traffic. No matter how badly you want to get from point A to point B, sometimes you have to surrender to the jam-packed freeway.
So don’t expect Pierce to be hasty when deciding who the Raiders’ starting quarterback will be Week 1. “No need to rush it,” Pierce said Tuesday, the day before the team’s first training camp practice. He will give both second-year pro Aidan O’Connell and veteran Gardner Minshew a fair shot to win the job.
Then, the chips will fall where they may. “Let the best man win,” Pierce said. He doesn’t have a timeline for his decision.
He could name a starter next week or evaluate all of training camp and the preseason. Pierce’s focus is on picking the right guy. He believes he’ll know when it’s time to make the call.
“When it’s right. When it’s obvious,” Pierce said. “Like, ‘OK, like this is a no-brainer.
’” It’s an important choice. The Raiders’ roster is the best they’ve had since moving to Las Vegas in 2020. They have a strong defense , a bevy of offensive weapons and a new-look offensive line that appears more athletic and physical than last year.
The team has a shot to win nine or 10 games if its quarterback can play efficient football. The Raiders intend to create a training-camp environment that can point Pierce, offensive co.