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Davante Adams reveals who's leading Raiders' QB battle
The Raiders have one of the more intriguing quarterback battles of the offseason between Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew.
Many may think that Minshew has the upper hand given his experience and the two-year, $25 million contract Las Vegas gave him in free agency, but star wide receiver Davante Adams says that isn't how things have gone thus far.
"I think right now, if I had to say, I think Aidan has the job because obviously he was here before, and that's the way that it was," Adams said on FS1's "Speak." "He was running with the 1s more. Until Gardner comes in and takes the job away from him, I think it's Aidan's job right now. He's doing what he's got to do to hold onto it."
O'Connell didn't start the 2023 season as the Raiders starter, but he finished it as such. Through 11 games and 10 starts, the fourth-round pick from a year ago threw for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The 25-year-old will need to play better than that if he hopes to retain his starting job against Minshew, who nearly led the Colts to the playoffs last season.
Minshew didn't light up the stat sheet, either, passing for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but he caught Las Vegas' attention enough to give him $15 million guaranteed as part of his deal.
Adams may believe that O'Connell has the lead in the quarterback battle, but he doesn't have a preference for who ends up winning the job as long as they're not afraid to take some chances.
"I want whoever is going to look the best when it's live bullets," Adams added. "So at the end of the day, I don't have a preference other than 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."
Adams, 31, is entering his 11th season in the league and knows his time to win a Super Bowl is running out.
"We've still gotta keep working and do what we've got to do to grow and get better," Adams finished. "We can definitely get better than where we are."
More must-reads:
- Are Raiders worried about Aidan O’Connell, Gardner Minshew QB battle?
- Davante Adams opens up about Raiders' quarterback competition
- The '1,000 or more receiving yards in 2021' quiz
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