Gardner Minshew named Raiders’ starting quarterback

Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce has his starting quarterback. 

Gardner Minshew will be the Raiders’ starter for Week 1 after spending training camp and preseason competing with second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell for the job. 

“A lot of things went into it,” Pierce told reporters, according to ESPN. “It wasn’t based off of [solely] last night. There’s a lot of factors. So, we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity to get off to a fast start, and that’s what we’re going with. We support him, our team’s behind it, our staff’s behind it, the organization’s behind it.”

Minshew had started in two games during the preseason, which included Saturday’s loss to the Cowboys, and completed 16 passes for 212 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. 

The Raiders is Minshew’s fourth team over his six seasons in the NFL after he signed a two-year, $25 million contract in March. 

Pierce told reporters Sunday that part of the decision came from the experience that Minshew, who has played in Jacksonville, Philadelphia and Indianapolis, brings to the team. 

“The operation, the process and just everything we saw in practice,” Pierce said. “Some of it showed up in the games. A 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 like Gardner gives us the best opportunity.”

O’Connell went 21-of-29 for 172 yards during the preseason while throwing a touchdown and an interception. 

The second-year QB had made his way into the starting role last season in November and threw eight touchdowns during the final four games of the 2023 campaign. 

“Those two gentlemen are professionals,” Pierce said. “The way they’ve handled this competition has really resonated throughout our building.”