Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders are set for what could be a long grind of a quarterback battle for the starting roster spot.

In one corner, there is Aidan O’Connell, who started for the team for a chunk of the 2023 season. In the other, there is newcomer Gardner Minshew. Minshew also started a chunk of games in 2023, but for the Indianapolis Colts.

Speaking on a recent edition of FS1’s “Speak,” Adams wasted no words in declaring the leader in the competition.

“I think right now if I had to say, I think Aidan has the job,” the wide receiver said. “At the end of the day, I don’t have a preference other than the fact that I want somebody that’s confident and ready to go when it’s time to do it. So, whoever that is, that’s who I want throwing the ball.”

The decision as to the player that leads the locker room in Week 1 directly influences how well Adams looks on the stat sheet. If the wrong person gets chosen, touchdowns for Adams could turn into incompletions or interceptions for the quarterback.

As such, Adams has a direct interest in head coach Antonio Pierce getting it right.

Aidan O’Connell back to square one in Raiders QB competition

As far as rookie seasons go, players can have worse ones than what Aidan O’Connell had in 2023.

Starting the season on the bench, O’Connell eventually took over in Week 9 and the Raiders never looked back. That is, until this offseason when Las Vegas picked up Gardner Minshew II.

O’Connell threw for nearly twice as many touchdowns as interceptions last season, per Pro Football Reference. The Raiders also won a game over the rival Chargers by a score of 63-21 on O’Connell’s watch in a primetime slot.

At the end of the year, O’Connell went 3-1 in a stunning development.

O’Connell also got to the Super Bowl, in a manner of speaking. The quarterback spent time giving out autographs at the fan experience a few days before Super Bowl LVIII. The line to get one was hours long and hundreds of people deep. Put simply, he had a memorable first year in the league.

However, Pierce has elected to make O’Connell compete against Minshew for the starting quarterback role. Davante Adams has placed the young signal-caller in the lead, but will he maintain it?

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