Former Jaguars QB Gardner Minshew is suddenly not doing great with the Raiders

Early in the 2024 season, Gardner Minshew got the spotlight because he played well enough to help the Las Vegas Raiders upset the Baltimore Ravens. His impressive play even led to comparisons to Trevor Lawrence, his former teammate during his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the mustachioed quarterback has cooled down in recent weeks and has been phased out in favor of sophomore Aidan O'Connell.

Minshew was benched in the third quarter of the Raiders' Week 5 loss to the Denver Broncos after going 12-of-17 for 137 yards with one touchdown and two picks. One of the interceptions should been an easy touchdown but he instead threw a pass that cornerback Patrick Surtain took to the house.

Las Vegas head coach Antonio Pierce decided he'd seen enough and named O'Connell the starter moving forward. While isn't objectively more than a backup quarterback at this stage of his career, the team hopes he can give the offense a spark.

It's also worth noting that Jacksonville is slated to face the Raiders later this season in Week 16. It's hard to tell who'll be behind center for Las Vegas at that point. Given that O'Connell doesn't inspire much confidence, nobody will bat an eye Minshew is plugged back into the starting lineup at some point.

Gardner Minshew is fine but the Jaguars have a better QB in Trevor Lawrence

Comparisons between Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew are unjustified. Sure, the former has yet to live up to the generational talent level but he's without a doubt the most talented of the two. That begs the question, why does the latter get much so love across the league?

First and foremost, Minshew oozes personality dating back to his days in Duval. Saying things such as him getting the Coronavirus and it dying or confessing that he couldn't poop because he was so focused on the quarterback competition with Lawrence in 2021 made him endearing to fans. It also helped that the former Washington State Cougar flashed at times.

Minshew gave the Raiders a massive loss in their last game at the Colosseum in 2019 and was one of the Jaguars' few bright spots during that season. Heck, Minshewmania took the league by storm, with fans and the national media talking about it nonstop.

However, Minshew is a limited quarterback. He'll keep your team afloat but won't be the sole reason it wins. Once Minshewmania cooled down in Jacksonville, he struggled to build consistency and was benched at the midpoint of 2020. Rightly, the Jags selected Lawrence first overall the following year. Sure, they had many needs beyond quarterback at the time, but how often does a club have a chance to select a prospect as renowned as the former Clemson Tiger?

Ultimately, the Jags made the right move. While Lawrence has yet to solidify his place as a top NFL quarterback, he isn't going anywhere and has ample time to make it happen. On the other hand, Minshew has carved a niche as a stop-bridge quarterback. That's not a bad thing at all, but that doesn't mean he's in the same echelon as his former teammate.

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