Minshew Mania is back for 2024, with the Las Vegas Raiders naming Gardner Minshew as their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce announcement On Sunday, Minshew won the starting job over second-year QB Aidan O’Connell.
Minshew sign O’Connell signed a two-year contract with the Raiders in March. The 28-year-old quarterback started one of the Raiders’ two preseason games, throwing for 117 yards and a touchdown in a 24-23 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. O’Connell, meanwhile, led the Raiders to a 27-12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, throwing a touchdown and an interception.
“Myself, (Tom) Telesco and Luke Getsy discussed it this morning,” Pierce said, according to the Raiders“A lot of things went into it. It wasn’t based on what happened last night. There’s a lot of factors. We think Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a good start.”
Minshew broke out in 2019, where he started 12 games in his rookie year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He threw 21 touchdowns that season, breaking a franchise record for a rookie. Minshew played in Jacksonville for two seasons, before spending two with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The mustachioed point guard spent last season with the Indianapolis Colts, where he started 13 games and played in 17 games. He threw for a career-high 3,305 yards and 15 touchdowns on a 62.2 percent completion percentage; however, he was also sacked 34 times and threw nine interceptions.
O’Connell, meanwhile, will return to being the Raiders’ backup. The 25-year-old quarterback started last season as the second-string quarterback but took over mid-year after Jimmy Garoppolo was injured. He started 10 games in total this rookie season.
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