Unbelievable: Antonio Pierce Said Choosing Raiders Was The Biggest Mistake He Has Ever Made…..

As NFL free agency began, the Las Vegas Raiders’ only quarterback on the roster was second-year man Aidan O’Connell. But the franchise quickly corrected that by signing veteran Gardner Minshew II to a two-year deal.

Regardless of who is brought in, however, head coach Pierce has made it clear that O’Connell has earned the right to compete for the starting spot due to his promising play when taking over as starter last year. Pierce is also a fan of what Minshew brings.

In a recent interview, Pierce called Minshew a ‘wild boy’ while noting that the veteran has proven that he can get things done regardless of the circumstances, via Matthew Schmidt of Yardbarker:“Aidan did a hell of a job last year, but like any other position on our team, we want to make that as competitive as possible,” Pierce said via the Raiders’ official YouTube account. “One thing about Gardner, as you’ve seen throughout his career, he finds a way. That’s going to make our room better. He’s been through a lot of adversity. You want that experience, as well, in there. So, to me, it was a good fit. It’s a culture fit. That’s a wild boy right there.”

Minshew and his hard work undoubtedly fit the kind of culture Pierce is looking to build within the Raiders organization and, as Pierce pointed out. Additionally, a healthy competition is almost always a good thing and will give the team and staff more time to evaluate what each player brings to the table.

Last season with the Indianapolis Colts, Minshew had his longest run as the top guy, ultimately starting 13 games, posting a winning record, and throwing for 3,305 yards and 15 touchdowns. Minshew, O’Connell, and whoever the Raiders bring in through the draft will have a serious competition to decide who will be under center on opening night.

Antonio Pierce: Raiders don’t wanna put ‘band-aid’ on quarterback position

One thing that everyone seems to be on the same page about is the fact that the Raiders aren’t looking for a temporary stopgap at quarterback but rather want to find the player who will lead the team for years to come.

Head coach Antonio Pierce re-iterated this statement in a recent interview, noting that he hopes whoever the team drafts becomes the full-time starter while adding that he doesn’t want to put a band-aid on that position. Pierce believes the fans have seen that enough times already and now it is time for the Raiders to find their guy and stick with him through his development.

The Las Vegas Raiders offense is going to undergo some big changes with running back Josh Jacobs no longer on the team. He was the centerpiece of the offense for years but signed a four-year, $48 million contract with the Green Bay Packers in free agency.

While Jacobs wanted to stay in Las Vegas and the team also was hoping to re-sign him, the Packers’ offer was too great. There’s been speculation that Jacobs chose the Packers over the Raiders, but according to The Athletic’s Vic Tafur, it simply came down to money.

“I am trying my best to stop shooting down people’s reports and keep my monster truck in my lane, but nah, that’s not true,” Tafur wrote in a March 29 mailbag. “The Raiders made what they thought was a fair offer — and it was the second-best offer — but it wasn’t close to the Packers’ offer of $14.8 million guaranteed in Year 1 (and likely $23 million for two years).

“And that’s OK. Jacobs was a great player for the Raiders and took more money to join a playoff team with old buddy Rich Bisaccia on staff. That’s his hard-earned right. The Raiders had a “fair” number they weren’t going to move from, and history shows that is usually wise with running backs.”

Jacobs didn’t seem thrilled with the fact the Raiders didn’t re-sign him but it appears the Packers were offering him much more money than any other team.

As Vic Tafur alluded to, Josh Jacobs is joining a familiar face in Green Bay. Packers special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia was with Jacobs on the Raiders from 2019 to 2021, including his stisnt as the interim head coach in 2021.

Bisaccia may have played a role in why the Packers pursued Jacobs so aggressively, according to head coach Matt LaFleur.

“I think Rich definitely spoke highly of him,” LaFleur said recently, via The Athletic. “I think any time that you have a coach on staff that’s been on another team with a player like that, you’re always interested in hearing what they have to say about him. He raved about the person, the player, the worker.”