Raiders insider reveals why Gardner Minshew got the job ahead of Aidan O'Connell

The Las Vegas Raiders finally made their quarterback decision on Sunday, deciding to start the season with Gardner Minshew instead of Aidan O'Connell.

Many thought O'Connell would be the pick after both quarterbacks were neck and neck in the offseason and especially after O'Connell performed better in the third week of the preseason, regardless of the pick-six.

Vic Tafur of The Athletic recently explained the reasoning behind the Raiders' move, and much of it was because Minshew was simply a better fit in the offense at the moment.

Pierce met with general manager Tom Telesco and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and they decided that Minshew was a better fit in the offense at the moment. And while many (myself included) assumed Minshew would have to step away during the contest, it was the opposite.

O'Connell, the incumbent, was supposed to take the first snap of the offseason and pull away from the rookie. But that never happened. It's fair to say O'Connell wasn't as sharp as he was last training camp and in the preseason as a rookie.

Many may point to O'Connell's brutal pick-six interception against the Dallas Cowboys' backups in Saturday night's preseason game, but the Raiders have been throwing passes throughout training camp and Minshew has thrown more interceptions, so that wasn't the reason.

As Tafur also points out in the article, head coach Antonio Pierce cited Minshew's experience and processing ability as reasons for the selection, while also saying that the veteran “gives us the best opportunity to get off to a quick start.”

“The routine, the process and just everything we saw in practice,” Pierce said of why Las Vegas chose Minshew. “Some things have shown up in the games. We can get better at a lot of things. I don't think anything is done here, but considering where we want to be in the first quarter of the season, we think Gardner gives us the best opportunity.”

Minshew's mobility and his previous success in the play-action passing game may also have been important factors.

As we've seen in his five NFL seasons, Minshew can have great days, but he can also have disastrous ones. With that in mind, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if O'Connell gets his job back sometime in 2024.