Antonio Pierce Clarifies Raiders' Starting QB Situation Regarding Gardner Minshew

The coach benched Minshew in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Panthers.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew throws a pass. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Entering Week 4, there was a question posed about whether Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce would demote quarterback Gardner Minshew for a change under center.

Speculation began to swirl following the Raiders' 36–22 loss to the Carolina Panthers in which Minshew was benched the in fourth quarter in favor of second-year quarterback Aidan O'Connell. Pierce, who was critical of his team's effort against Carolina, also didn't rule out starting O'Connell when asked by reporters on Monday.

However, Pierce cleared the air about this rumor on Wednesday, stating that Minshew is remaining as the team's starting quarterback.

“There’s no issue. Gardner Minshew is the quarterback,” Pierce said.

Minshew threw for 214 yards and one touchdown along with one interception on Sunday, which prompted Pierce to bench Minshew. O'Connell immediately led the Raiders on a touchdown drive, throwing for 82 yards and one score.

So far this season, Minshew has completed 73-of-99 pass attempts for 747 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions, good for a 92.4 passer rating. He's also been sacked 11 times. Minshew started 13 games for the Indianapolis Colts last season after quarterback Anthony Richardson went down with a season-ending shoulder injury.

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