Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew will be under center to start the team’s season opener against the host Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 8, head coach Antonio Pierce announced Sunday.

Minshew got the nod over Aidan O’Connell, who started 10 games during his rookie season in 2023.

Pierce credited Minshew’s experience — among other things — as the reason that he was named the starting quarterback for the start of the 2024 season.

“Experience. The operation, the processing. Everything we saw in practice, some of it showed up in the games,” Pierce said. “Lot of stuff he can get better at; I don’t think anything here is a finished product. Based off where we want to go in the first quarter of the season, we feel like Gardner gives us the best opportunity.”

Minshew, 28, was signed in the offseason as a free agent after spending last season with the Indianapolis Colts. He passed for 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 17 games (13 starts) and was a Pro Bowler for the first time.

But with the Colts committed to Anthony Richardson as their long-term option at quarterback, Minshew departed and chose the Raiders as his best option to get on the field in 2024.

O’Connell, 25, completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 2,218 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 11 games last season after being a fourth-round pick out of Purdue. He was 5-5 in his 10 starts.

He was especially good late in the season, firing eight touchdown passes against no interceptions over the final four games.

–Field Level Media