Raiders Not Ruling Out Benching Gardner Minshew For Aidan O’Connell In Week 4

According to Adam Schefter, Raiders HC Antonio Pierce said he would not rule out a quarterback change for Week 4 after swapping out QB Gardner Minshew for Aidan O’Connell against the Panthers on Sunday.

Minshew competed with O’Connell in training camp and to start the preseason, with Pierce naming him the starter for the regular season.

However, Minshew was benched with the hopes that O’Connell could provide a spark against Carolina, and the second-year quarterback performed well enough to be considered to start in Week 4.

Pierce was asked about O’Connell’s success late against the Panthers by Paul Gutierrez and replied: “I think we’ve gotta get with the players and just evaluate everything from yesterday first.”

Minshew, 28, is a former sixth-round pick of the Jaguars out of Washington State back in 2019. He signed a four-year rookie deal worth $2.7 million and made a base salary of $2,540,000 for the 2021 season. 

The Jaguars traded Minshew to the Eagles coming out of the preseason in 2021 in exchange for a sixth-round pick. He signed on with the Colts for the 2023 season before signing a two-year, $25 million deal with the Raiders back in March to compete for their starting job.

In 2024, Minshew has appeared in three games for the Raiders and completed 73.7 percent of his passes for 747 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions.

O’Connell, 25, was a three-year starter at Purdue and was named second-team All-Big 10 in his final two seasons. He was drafted by the Raiders with the No. 135 pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. 

He signed a four-year, $3.84 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $509,380. 

In 2023, O’Connell appeared in 11 games for the Raiders and posted a record of 5-5. He completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 2,218 yards,12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions to go along with 11 yards rushing and a touchdown.

In 2024, O’Connell has appeared in one game for the Raiders and completed nine of his 12 pass attempts for 82 yards and one touchdown.

We will have more news on the Raiders quarterback situation as it becomes available.