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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – AUGUST 10: Aidan O’Connell #12 of the Las Vegas Raiders scrambles out of the pocket during the preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Aidan O’Connell will start at quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 6 in place of previous starter Gardner Minshew.
Head coach Antonio Pierce announced the decision on Wednesday. The Raiders are making the change after a 2-3 start and a Week 5 loss to the AFC West rival Denver Broncos.
Pierce didn’t off much detail when asked why he made the decision.
“There was a quarterback battle early on,” Pierce said . … “At this point I think it’s best to go with Aidan going forward. …
“I don’t plan on making switches at any time. When it’s time to make a switch, you make a switch.”
O’Connell started 10 games for the Raiders as a rookie last season while Pierce served as the team’s interim head coach. He completed 62.1% of his passes for 201.6 yards per game with 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Raiders went 5-5 in games that O’Connell started.
The Raiders signed Minshew to a two-year, $25 million contract in the offseason after he previously served as the backup quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Minshew is a sixth-year NFL veteran who joined the Raiders with 37 games of experience as an NFL starter for three different teams.
Pierce named Minshew as starting quarterback after a competition for the job in preseason and training camp.
“The operation, the processing — just everything we saw in practice,” Pierce said in August of Minshew winning the job. “Some of it showed up in the games. A lot of stuff we can get better at. I don’t think anything here is a finished product.
“But based off of where we want to go in the first quarter of the season, we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity.”
This is a breaking news story that will be updated.
Source link : https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/aidan-oconnell-to-replace-gardner-minshew-as-raiders-starting-quarterback-vs-steelers-185054072.html
Author : Yahoo Sports
Publish date : 2024-10-09 18:50:54
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