COSTA MESA, Calif. — Maybe the big decision facing Raiders coach Antonio Pierce to determine the winner of a, well, less meaningful quarterback competition isn’t so complicated after all.

Just listen to the participants.

As Gardner Minshew II put it after a training camp this week: “The most important thing for everyone out there is that we take care of the ball.”

Aidan O’Connell knows that the recipe includes adding a rigid defense. As he put it, “It’s the quarterback’s job to take care of the ball in every way, regardless of whether the defense is really good or not.”

Watch out for the football.

That’s easier said than done, as was evident during one of the final practices of the California portion of the Raiders training camp, when Minshew and O’Connell combined for four turnovers.

Sure, things like that happen. It was just practice. But it happened after the quarterbacks had intercepted three balls together in a practice game the previous Saturday.

During practice on Tuesday, O’Connell threw an interception on a telegraphed throw during a Three-on-three exercisewhich is so rare. A few minutes later, Minshew was picked off as he tried to force a throw into traffic to connect with a seam route.

He knows it.

“If you win the turnover battle, you win 70 to 75 percent of your games,” said Minshew, a fourth-team gunslinger entering his sixth NFL season.

It’s no wonder Pierce, who is in his first season on the job after finishing last season as interim coach, is in no rush to make the decision. It’s not exactly the most enticing quarterback competition, pitting a young classic dropback passer in O’Connell against a roving worker like Minshew who can use his feet to extend plays.

No, don’t call it a classic competition. Instead, call it a dilemma.

Earlier in the week, Pierce said neither quarterback had established himself as a clear favorite. On Wednesday, as the Raiders neared the end of training camp and prepared for a trip to Minnesota to open the preseason, Pierce was just as adamant when asked for an update.

“Status quo,” grumbled Pierce, a former NFL linebacker.

As of Thursday, Pierce would not announce which quarterback would start the season opener against the Vikings, and the team’s released roster did not provide any clues. The first-team quarterback was listed as a “slash” situation, while Minshew and O’Connell (who Pierce stuck with as a rookie last season after replacing Josh McDaniels as coach) were listed on the first team.

Pierce knew all along that he wouldn’t win the job just on the practice field and behind the scenes in meetings. With new coordinator Luke Getsy implementing a system that relies heavily on play-action passes, Pierce wants to see the quarterbacks at full speed in the stadiums, so to speak.

Interestingly, neither quarterback said preseason performance could be the deciding factor—and both could be wrong in that assumption if the battle for the job is as close as Pierce suggests and if they don’t protect the football.

“I’m not sure how they’re going to do it,” said O’Connell, a Purdue product who was drafted in the fourth round in 2023. “It’s really not my decision. I just try to take it day by day. That’s what it takes to play your best game.”

Minshew gave a similar answer when asked how he thought the preseason would be a deciding factor for the job.

“I have no idea, man,” he said. “It’s not my decision.”

Pierce, however, is making no secret of what he expects from his quarterbacks in the three preseason games that begin Saturday afternoon. Although he hasn’t revealed who will start, Pierce plans to have O’Connell and Minshew each play a quarter in the first half. Pro rookie Anthony Brown and freshman Carter Bradley will likely split the second-half duties.

“This preseason game will be very telling,” Pierce said of the battle between O’Connell and Minshew. “I want to see how these guys take care of the ball, manage the team and pay attention to situational football.”

In the end, it’s possible that the winner of the job is an automatic winner. That’s what happens if neither quarterback beats out the competition. Pierce could be forced to go with the safest choice – the quarterback who is less prone to game-winning mistakes that put the defense under pressure.

Pierce earned his chance to keep the job not only with his 5-4 record last season after replacing McDaniels, but also with the way he infused the team with new energy and passion. Now he wants to add more layers to that culture while developing a hard-hitting brand of football. To compete in an AFC West division dominated by the Chiefs for several years, Pierce wants the Raiders to complement a strong defense with a physical offense that can use its running game to wear down opponents and facilitate play-action passing. For that recipe to work, there must be an emphasis on protecting the football.

And the recipe doesn’t involve any back and forth regarding the quarterback.

“If we make a decision, it will be our quarterback,” Pierce said.

Someone asked Pierce what he had learned about being a head coach, given his experience as an interim coach, offseason workouts and about a dozen practices while running his first camp.

“Patience,” Pierce replied.

He will undoubtedly need it to be able to rely on when making the important quarterback decision.

“Don’t make hasty decisions,” he added. “Don’t be emotional, because otherwise you’ll make a lot of bad decisions.”

In other words, no decision has been made yet regarding a quarterback.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Raiders’ QB competition: Ugly dilemma with no good answer