There are apparently differences between the coach and general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders on the starting quarterback for 2024.

After taking over for Josh McDaniels as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, Antonio Pierce finished 5-4, securing his position as head coach full-time in 2024. There already seems to be some dissension in the Raiders organization, even though owner Mark Davis gave priority to an experienced general manager to work alongside his inexperienced head coach.

Before selecting Tom Telesco as general manager, the Raiders had meetings with a number of the NFL’s best candidates. Less than two months after Telesco was let go from the same role with the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas decided to hire him.

When Davis hired Telesco, she made it clear that Pierce needed to work with an experienced talent assessor and decision-maker at the top. Given that Telesco and Pierce had never met before the initial interview, it was a bit of a gamble, particularly for a team that was apprehensive about their quarterback.

There is apparently some dispute over who should start at quarterback for the Raiders next season, despite the general manager and head coach of the team having both advocated for taking an aggressive approach this offseason in an effort to strengthen the quarterback room.

Aidan O’Connell, the quarterback, “looks to be the favorite” to start for Las Vegas in the upcoming season, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda. O’Connell appears to be more of a backup quarterback, but Telesco “wants a big name” to take over at quarterback.

The 2023 NFL Draft’s 135th overall selection, O’Connell, had some promising moments during his debut campaign. He had an 8=0 TD-INT ratio, a 98.4 QB rating, and an average of 6.4 yards per attempt from Weeks 15–18. But in the same period, O’Connell averaged 213.3 yards per game and only completed 59.4% of his throws.

Even if the Chargers did not have a quarterback available for the 2023 NFL Draft, Telesco undoubtedly watched some footage of the position when it was in Los Angeles and before joining Las Vegas. It seems logical to assume he believes it is essential to acquire a better starting quarterback given the expectations for the team in 2024.

According to Pierce, O’Connell was competent enough to round up his inaugural campaign with a 3-1 record, winning the head coach of the Raiders in the process. Although both Pierce and Telesco concur that Las Vegas needs a stronger quarterback option than Jimmy Garoppolo—who is set to be released—it is somewhat unexpected to learn that, weeks into their collaboration, the coach and general manager cannot agree on how much of a need a quarterback is.