NFL
Gardner Minshew injury: how long will the Raiders QB be out for?
The Raiders quarterback injured his right shoulder in the 29-19 defeat to the Broncos. “It doesn’t look good,” said coach Antonio Pierce.
The Las Vegas Raiders' (2-9) 2024 season is doomed and getting more complicated by the day. Gardner Minshew suffered a broken collarbone in Sunday’s 29-19 defeat to the Denver Broncos (7-5) and is expected to miss the rest of the season, NFL Network reported.
Head coach Antonio Pierce told reporters afterwards that more will be known once Minshew undergoes tests today but confirmed the injury to the quarterback’s left shoulder and simply added, “It doesn’t look good”.
Minshew suffers clavicle fracture in the final quarter
Minshew suffered the injury in the fourth quarter after being sacked by Cody Barton and Jonathon Cooper. The veteran was replaced by Desmond Ridder for the final phase of the game. Before leaving the field, Minshew completed 25 of 45 throws for 230 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran twice for five yards.
The injured player is in his first year in Las Vegas after signing a two-year, $25 million contract in March 2024. The Washington State graduate started nine of the 10 games he played and accrued 2,013 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions after completing 66.3 percent of his throws.
The Raiders' options to replace Gardner Minshew
The Raiders currently only have Ridder on their 53-man roster because Aidan O’Connell is on injured reserve with a fractured thumb. The Las Vegas team’s other option is rookie Carter Bradley, who is on the practice squad after going undrafted in 2024 following his time at South Alabama.
“We’re gonna need somebody, right, we’re running out of quarterbacks now,” coach Pierce said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow. But obviously, it looks like he [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”.
According to Spotrac, the top free agents available are Daniel Jones, recently released by the New York Giants; Ryan Tannehill, without a team after being released by the Tennessee Titans; Brian Hoyer, who spent last year with the Raiders; and Blaine Gabbert, Patrick Mahomes' former backup in Kansas City.