Gardner Minshew Reveals Only Thing That Matters In The NFL

Just one day after their Week 2 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys this past Saturday, Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce made his final decision on the team’s quarterback battle.

He revealed that he would be going with the 28-year-old journeyman out of Washington State, Gardner Minshew. Throughout the course of his career, Minshew has experienced nearly every perspective of being an NFL quarterback whether it be as a starter or someone who is the backup.

Something that when speaking to the media on Tuesday, he revealed has helped him form a necessary mentality by using his prior experiences around the league.

“The one thing I’ve figured out is, being a quarterback in this league, it’s all about winning, " Minshew said . “If you win, nothing else really matters.”

He's got a point there. After a decent rookie season in 2019, Minshew was given the keys to the Jacksonville Jaguars ' 2020 offense. He soon lost his job as the starter after going 1-7 through the first half of the season.

He bounced around a bit, and got his next big opportunity in 2023 with the Indianapolis Colts . After their starter, Anthony Richardson, went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, Minshew was tasked with leading the offense for the rest of the year.

He went 7-6 as a starter from that point on, and came extremely close to a playoff berth. Minshew did just well enough to earn an opportunity to compete for the starting role in Las Vegas this offseason, as the Raiders signed him as a free agent to a two-year, $25 million contract with $15 million guaranteed on March 14.

Despite only having won the job earlier this week, Minshew made it clear that he has always viewed this as his team.

“I think anytime you step in there as the quarterback, whatever the situation, it’s your team at that point,” Minshew said. “You have to treat it like that.”

While he won the job, it was clear that neither quarterback was impressive enough during the preseason or training camp to make the choice easy for Pierce. However, it seems Minshew has enough of what head coach Antonio Pierce is looking for, which is his ability to make big plays and, of course, experience.

Related: Calls Mount For Las Vegas Raiders To Trade Superstar WR Davante Adams

Minshew has had his fair share of ups and downs throughout his career. Now, he has an opportunity to permanently steer it in the right direction. We'll see if he can do that in 2024.