Winning begins with establishing a firm plan for the Raiders’ future under center. One of Pierce’s first moves as interim coach was to bench Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell, whom Pierce described as the Raiders’ best existing option at the position. The results justified his decision, with O’Connell posting an 11-6 TD-INT ratio and throwing for 1,905 yards in his final nine games. But was it enough to convince Telesco and Pierce he can be the guy entering 2024?
Well, the new power pairing isn’t quite certain — at least not yet.
“I have a lot of learning to do to figure out this team from the inside, not from the outside,” Telesco said. “Obviously, Aidan played pretty well against us. That’s a plus. But I need to get a lot more in depth with this team as far as more than just a couple games, and then talk with the staff. And we’ve got to do that at every position.
“That’s really, probably No. 1. At least for me, I have to know this team as well as I knew the team I just came from, which I don’t yet. But I’m gonna get there pretty quick.”
Having seen O’Connell’s performances firsthand, Pierce took a more optimistic approach to answering the question while leaving the door open for Telesco to weigh in on a final decision.
“I thought we saw growth with Aidan. At the end of the season he was playing some really good football,” Pierce said. “Obviously, that led to some wins for us. But taking care of the football, being responsible, being more vocal, I think he put himself in a position to learn what it’s like to be a pro in the offseason. Because he can reflect on what he just did. If he didn’t have those opportunities, he would never know what mistakes he’d made.
“So I think it’s a great learning tool for him. Now that we have it on film, like Tom said, to evaluate it and really look at it going forward.”
It’s clear these two former strangers are going to need time to learn to work with each other, a process that will occur concurrently with preparation for free agency and the draft. They aren’t operating with an impossible amount of pressure on them, but after the Raiders wasted two years with Davante Adams and sent Derek Carr packing prior to the 2023 season, there is a sense of urgency to solve the quarterback conundrum before long.
They have another item to address before quarterback, too.
Pierce needs to hire an offensive coordinator that can set the Raiders on a track to success. As Pierce said Wednesday, it’s not as simple as finding someone who likes to run the ball. It’s about fitting a style that Telesco identified as “speed and get the ball down the field,” at least, for starters.
“Just like everything else that we’ve done throughout this process, I honestly believe this, I don’t think everybody’s meant to be for the Raiders,” Pierce said. “I don’t think everybody’s meant to play for the Raiders or coach for the Raiders. I think that’s gonna be something I really dig into as we go into that process.
“But more importantly, the way the game is, ‘AP wants to run the ball.’ No, AP just wants to run a style of football. And run the style a certain way. It’s the approach. It’s being a teacher. It’s being somebody that can stand in front of this room and the man that’s looking at them, that they believe in the plan, and the process and that they’re a teacher. And that they can adjust on the fly. Because that’s what this game’s about.”
As the most important position in sports, quarterback will always be a top priority. O’Connell played well enough to earn a seat at the table of consideration. We’ll see if they believe he’s done enough to stay as a starter. If not, Pierce and Telesco’s first big move might come under center.