One of the problems that surfaced in the strange manner the 2024 NFL draft transpired is that we don’t know what Gardner Minshew will be a bridge to, if the Raiders sign him as a bridge quarterback. That’s because the only players on the team’s current depth chart with the potential to start in Las Vegas are Minshew and Aidan O’Connell, the starter from the previous season.
I apologize to Carter Bradley, of course. He was an undrafted free agent when he joined with the organization, and while he may make the practice squad, his chances of playing in the NFL this season are slim.
Thus, Minshew and O’Connell will be involved, and then what? There is always the NFL draft in 2025, albeit it is not anticipated to have quite the talent level of the previous year, when quarterbacks were selected with six—six!—of the first twelve picks. Since neither Bo Nix nor Michael Penix Jr. were still alive at that moment, we will never know if the Raiders would have selected one of them at No. 13.
Critics of the Raiders for passing up a quarterback in 2024 are justified—until you consider the composition of the first-round selection committee.
Heisman winner in 2024, Carson Beck?
There’s also 2025 to consider. The Raiders do address the quarterback position for the upcoming season at this point, according to The 33rd Team, in a move that the website acknowledges as premature. “Way-Too-Early 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Who Is Next Year’s Top QB?” predicts that Carson Beck, a standout quarterback out of Georgia, will be selected by the Raiders.
“Carson Beck got hot down the stretch for Georgia, and everything points to him being one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft,” the website’s Marcus Mosher said. He averaged 9.5 yards per attempt and completed over 72% of his throws in his first full season as a starter. It will be interesting to watch his growth throughout the 2024 campaign.
By any measure, Beck is not a young person. He has spent the last four years in Athens, where he was a teammate of Raiders star running back Zamir White and earned playing time on the Bulldogs’ two national championship squads.
He is the early favorite to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy after throwing for 3,491 yards and 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions in 14 games previous season.
Raiders quarterbacks can win by being cautious.
Minshew and O’Connell, who both have the potential to be good enough to lead the team to the playoffs after a strong finish to the previous season demonstrated that this squad can win with both a potent running attack and defense, will hold down the fort for the Raiders in the meantime.
However, Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers are the group’s key receivers. Highlights from the passing game would be desirable. O’Connell may or may not be that player, but he did put up a fantastic performance in Week 16—possibly his greatest game of the rookie season—throws for 299 yards and two touchdowns against no interceptions.
Naturally, Minshew, who was playing for the Colts, was on the opposing side of that game. He employed a cautious offensive strategy, letting running back Jonathan Taylor (93 yards) do the majority of the work while completing 15 of 23 throws for 224 yards and a touchdown.
With the victory, Minshew ended the Raiders’ prospects of making the playoffs. Now that he’s a Raider, though, his cautious strategy is OK as long as there are wins in the end.
