This season has been a lost one for the Las Vegas Raiders as injuries and quarterback play have seen this season go from promising to disappointing in a matter of weeks. The Raiders have now lost seven consecutive games and now another quarterback as Gardner Minshew had to leave the Raiders’ loss to the Denver Broncos in the first quarter.
Minshew was clearly in a lot of pain as he left the field following landing on his shoulder due to a sack and the worst became official as head coach Antonio Pierce announced that Minshew suffered a broken collarbone on the play and will be out for the rest of the season, via Paul Gutierrez of ESPN:
Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew suffered a season-ending broken collarbone late in Las Vegas’ 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, coach Antonio Pierce announced Monday.
Minshew, signed in March to a two-year, $25 million contract with $15 million guaranteed, was injured on a fourth-quarter sack by Broncos linebacker Cody Barton.
Minshew landed awkwardly on his left shoulder and appeared to be fighting back tears as he exited the field holding his left arm in a curled position. He went straight to the locker room with a trainer.
It is an unfortunate ending to an up-and-down season for Minshew who struggled with turnovers all year long, throwing a career-high 10 interceptions in just 10 games while also fumbling another five times, losing three.
The question now is who will be under center when the Raiders return to the field on Friday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Desmond Ridder stepped in to finish Sunday’s game against the Broncos, but Aidan O’Connell is also eligible to to return from injured reserve due to a fractured thumb. Whatever the decision, Pierce knows it must be made quickly:
“We’re going to need somebody, right?” Pierce said. “We’re running out of quarterbacks, too, now, so we’ll see what happens [Monday]. But obviously, it looks like [O’Connell is] getting better. He threw a little bit in practice this week.
“Obviously, we’ve got a short week — play on Friday, travel on Thursday — so we have to make that decision very quickly.”
Considering O’Connell was the starter when he got injured, it would seem reasonable that the job would be his if he is indeed healthy enough to return this week. Should that not be the case however, Ridder will be ready to go against the defending Super Bowl champs.
Raiders eyeing Mike Vrabel as potential next head coach?
Another question that will be surrounding the Raiders is the future of head coach Antonio Pierce. After a strong end to last season, Pierce has not been able to get things going for this team in 2024. And the Raiders could already have eyes on his replacement.
If the Raiders do decide to move on from Pierce, there is belief that former Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel would be the first choice of new part-owner Tom Brady. Of course Brady and Vrabel are former teammates with the New England Patriots so they have an existing relationship. However, the Raiders may need to move fast as Vrabel is currently a consultant with the Cleveland Browns and they could also make a push for him if they move on from their own coach.
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