The Las Vegas Raiders had a few options this spring when determining who their starting quarterback in 2024 would be, with NFL free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft bother offering options. Long before the team struck out on its objective in the NFL Draft, its decision in free agency was apparently influenced by someone who is no longer with the team.
In March, Las Vegas signed quarterback Gardner Minshew to a two-year contract worth $25 million. Minshew’s contract came with $15 million guaranteed and all but ensured he would spend a majority of the reason as the Raiders starting quarterback.
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- Las Vegas Raiders stats (ESPN): 18.6 PPG (27th in NFL), 78.1 rushing yards per game (32nd in NFL), 226.3 passing yards per game (14th in NFL)
The club’s decision to sign Minshew received a fair share of criticism, even more so after Las Vegas failed to land one of the top six quarterback prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft class. Months later, with the Raiders now one of the worst teams in football, the finger-pointing and internal leaks have started.
During a recent episode of The Las Vegas Raiders Insider podcast, Hondo Carpenter of Sports Illustrated shared his belief that the Raiders named Minshew their starting quarterback in part because of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
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- Gardner Minshew stats (ESPN): 2,013 passing yards, 6.6 ypa, 9-10 TD-INT, 29 sacks taken, 81.0 QB rating, 38.2 ESPN QBR, 66.3% completion rate
Getsy, who was fired as the Raiders offensive coordinator in early November, only spent a few months in Las Vegas. He was also the team’s backup plan at offensive coordinator after Kliff Kingsbury backed out on the job when Raiders owner Mark Davis wouldn’t guarantee a third year on Kingsbury’s contract/
Minshew proved to be one of the biggest issues with the Raiders’ offense only remaining the starter for as long as he did because Aidan O’Connell suffered a fractured thumb that forced him to miss multiple games. With O’Connell under contract in 2025, Las Vegas will likely undo several of its mistakes made this offseason by cutting Minshew and firing head coach Antonio Pierce in 2025.
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