Raiders HC Antonio Pierce names Gardner Minshew starting quarterback to open season

In two preseason video games, together with Las Vegas’ Week 2 loss towards the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night time, Minshew accomplished 16 of 33 passes for 212 yards with one landing and no interceptions. Compared, O’Connell was 21 of 29 for 172 yards, one TD and one INT.

“Myself, [general manager Tom] Telesco and [offensive coordinator] Luke Getsy mentioned it this morning. A number of issues went into it. It wasn’t based mostly off of final night time, there’s a number of components.” Pierce stated. “We really feel like Gardner provides us one of the best alternative to get off to a quick begin, and that is what we’re going with. We assist him, our crew’s behind it, our employees’s behind it, our group’s behind it.”

Going strictly by wage, Minshew ending up atop the depth chart is not sudden. Now along with his fourth NFL crew, Minshew inked a two-year, $25 million contract this offseason to affix the Silver and Black. O’Connell, a 2023 fourth-round choose, is due $915,000 in base wage this yr.

O’Connell began 10 video games in complete final yr, given the beginning spot by Pierce for the rest of the season over Jimmy Garoppolo following then-head coach Josh McDaniels’ ousting. O’Connell was given ample likelihood to retain the QB1 spot this yr as a result of he had “earned” the possibility to compete.

There’s clearly no assure we have seen the final of O’Connell as a Raiders starter, however the 28-year-old Minshew has the gig for now.

Minshew and maybe extra precisely, Minshew Mania, garnered discover within the Washington State product’s 2019 rookie season. He stuffed in admirably for an injured Nick Foles and have become the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 1 starter the next season. Whether or not he bought a good shot or not is debatable, however the Jags struggled mightily en path to ending final within the NFL, which led to the Trevor Lawrence period. Now, Minshew is coming off a 2023 marketing campaign through which he began a career-high 13 video games for the Indianapolis Colts, whom he saved within the playoff hunt till the ultimate week of the season. He earned his first Professional Bowl choice for his efforts.

Over 5 seasons with the Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Colts, Minshew has began 37 video games, posting a 15-22 document and having proven he can lead an offense when referred to as on, notably in a pinch. The Raiders are hoping he can enhance upon a Twenty seventh-ranked offense a yr in the past.

And so it goes that Minshew Mania is coming to Vegas, as one of many NFL’s loveliest free spirits has been given the beginning reins for the Silver and Black.