Getty Las Vegas Raiders HC Antonio Pierce.
The Las Vegas Raiders have their starting quarterback. Head coach Antonio Pierce announced during an August 18 press conference that Gardner Minshew has won the job.
This wasn’t an easy decision as Minshew is coming off a rough preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys where he only completed 10-of-21 passes. However, the Raiders gave him a two-year, $25 million contract in free agency this offseason and that’s a steep price to pay for a backup.
Minshew beats out Aidan O’Connell, who started 10 games for the team last season. He had the leg-up on Minshew considering he was in Las Vegas last year and had built a rapport with Pierce. He was playing well against Dallas and completed 14-of-20 passes and threw a touchdown. Unfortunately, he threw an ugly pick-six in the third quarter, which certainly didn’t help his chances of winning the job.
Minshew also has a significant experience advantage. O’Connell is only in his second year while Minshew is entering his sixth and has 37-career starts. It was a close call and there are likely many factors that went into the decision. Pierce noted Minshew’s ability to make plays with his feet and his leadership ability. That may have been what put him over O’Connell in the end.
Antonio Pierce Discusses Decision
This is Pierce’s first year as a full-time head coach at the NFL level and there’s a lot of pressure to get the quarterback position right. As a younger player, O’Connell may have more upside but Minshew’s experience is ultimately what got him the nod, according to Pierce.
“Experience, the operation, the processing, just everything we saw in practice,” Pierce said of the decision. “Some of it showed up in the games. Lot of stuff we can get better at. I don’t think anything here is a finished product but based off of where we want to go in the first quarter of the season, we feel that Gardner gives us the best opportunity.”
With the Indianapolis Colts last season, Minshew went 7-6 as a starter and nearly led the team to the playoffs had it not been for a 23-19 Week 18 loss to the Houston Texans. Though his preseason completion percentage is hovering around 50%, he does complete 62.6% of his passes throughout his career. He’s not a supremely accurate quarterback but he should be able to improve his accuracy in the regular season.
Aidan O’Connell Could Still Start Games
This is a tough blow for O’Connell, who likely had to feel good about his chances of winning the starting job before he threw that pick-six against the Cowboys. Pierce has been vocal about wanting a quarterback who doesn’t turn the ball over and such a careless mistake may have cost him dearly.
That said, this isn’t the end for O’Connell. Pierce specifically said that they’re going with Minshew so they can get off to a good start. He didn’t commit to having him be the starter for the entire season. If Minshew struggles early on, Pierce should have no qualms about giving O’Connell another chance.
Neither appear to be long-term options for the Raiders but both should see their fair share of playing time in 2024.
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