Raiders benching Gardner Minshew named Aidan O’Connell QB1

HENDERSON, Nev. – Aidan O’Connell will start at quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, replacing Gardner Minshew, coach Antonio Pierce announced Wednesday.

Minshew won a tight training camp battle against O’Connell, but was benched twice in his five starts for the Raiders, with losses to the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos. The Raiders are 2-3 heading into Sunday’s game.

“I mean, it was a quarterback battle early on,” Pierce said, “and at this point I think it’s best to go with Aidan going forward.”

Pierce said the decision to make the move was his. When asked if it was permanent for the remainder of the season or if Minshew could regain the job, Pierce left the door open.

“I don’t plan on making a move at any point,” he said. “When it’s time to make a switch, we will make a switch.”

Minshew completed a career-high 70.7% of his passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns in five games. But he also threw five interceptions, including a momentum-killing 100-yard pick-six in Denver on Sunday, and his 41.1 QBR is a career low.

O’Connell, meanwhile, has completed 59.4% of his throws in spot duty this season for 176 yards with one touchdown and an interception. He said he was “obviously disappointed” when he wasn’t named the starter coming out of training camp, but added that Minshew has been “vocally” supportive of him.

O’Connell said his mentality will be the same as when he was the backup because he prepared every day as if he were the starter anyway

“I definitely know that work is fluid, and so I just try to do my best, really every day,” O’Connell said. “Today I focus on today and don’t really think about days in the future. I have to work on what we’re working on today, try to get better and live every day that way. And it’s hard to Your brain wants to go backwards and moving forward, but I think just focusing on the task at hand is the best I can do.”

Last season, Pierce elevated then-rookie O’Connell to the starting role above Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer after moving from linebackers coach to interim coach himself on Nov. 1.

O’Connell went 5-5 as a starter and threw for eight touchdowns without a pick in the Raiders’ last four games. On the season, he passed for 2,218 yards with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 appearances.

Pierce said O’Connell has been “a lot louder” this season, even while serving as Minshew’s backup.

“Come out of that shell and stop looking like a rookie,” Pierce said. “He doesn’t act like a rookie anymore. He has a certain presence about himself… I love how he walks around the building.

“Really, what I respect the most is when we named Gardner the starter, he said, ‘Okay, I’m going to be the best scout team quarterback possible.’ And he lit us up. And every day he gives us the best look and walks around with a smile on his face… during the Baltimore game, he and Jackson Powers (-Johnson) rallied the troops and pumped them up was just a great teammate, so all those things factor into the decisions.”

“He’s a steady guy,” Meyers said. ‘You kind of know what you’re going to get out of him. He’s a consistent guy. Who he is is who he is.

“Hopefully the team responds well. Whatever will get us going, man. We just have to win some games and stay positive.”

Jakobi Meyers, who is second on the team in catches (25) and yards receiving (273), is hopeful the team will respond with O’Connell under center.

He added: “Whatever will get us going, man. We’ve just got to win some games and stay positive.”