Gardner Minshew says his goals in Las Vegas are to have fun and compete

Mar 15, 2024, 2:15 PM

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 04: Gardner Minshew #10 of the Indianapolis Colts and AFC looks on during the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl Games at Camping World Stadium on February 04, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

(Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

BY JOSEPH JAROSZ

Former Editor

Gardner Minshew has had an unorthodox path in his NFL career.

Selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 27-year-old quarterback was thrust into the starting role when Nick Foles got injured in the first quarter of Week 1 of that season. After two years in Jacksonville, he would go on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles for two years before joining Indianapolis where he had his best year as a quarterback.

Gardner Minshew played in 17 games for the Indianapolis Colts last season, starting 13 of those on his way to his first Pro Bowl selection in his career. In 2023 with the Colts, he threw a career-high 3,305 passing yards for 15 touchdowns.

During his introductory press conference, he said no matter where he plays, he always has two goals: to get better and to have fun. And he saw Las Vegas as a chance to get better.

“I’m always looking for opportunities to compete man, and this is a great one here,” Minshew said. “[I’m] Excited to get in and compete with a team that I feel like has a chance to be really good. Played them at the end of the year last year, felt some of that momentum, some of that energy that was building, and anytime you have a chance to compete and win that’s all you can really look forward to.”

Addressing the elephant in the room… pic.twitter.com/Dd6kEQJwpp

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) March 14, 2024

The only other quarterback on the Raiders’ roster is second-year player Aidan O’Connell. With speculation the team could also draft a quarterback in April, Minshew expects the QB to be competitive.

“I think they’re going to try to put together the best quarterback room they can,” Minshew said. “There’s no promises being made, I don’t want any guarantees, I just want a chance, and I’m excited for the chance I have here.”