Gardner Minshew II was signed to be the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback for 2024. But after an uneven campaign that saw multiple benchings and a litany of turnovers, Minshew suffered a major injury in the team’s Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos.
Below, we take a look at Minshew’s ailment and his return-to-play timeline.
What Is Gardner Minshew II’s Injury?
With just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Minshew was sacked by a pair of Broncos. He immediately left the game and went to the locker room with an apparent left shoulder injury.
Minshew was initially deemed questionable to return. He was 25-for-42 with a touchdown and an interception before departing. After the game, Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce provided an ominous update.
“With Minshew, left shoulder there,” Pierce said. “It doesn’t look good.”
When Will Minshew Return From Injury?
Indeed — X-rays immediately revealed the severity of the situation. Less than an hour after the game concluded, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that Minshew’s season was over due to a broken collarbone.
The only good news is that this shouldn’t impact his ability to be ready for offseason workouts in the spring. While the Raiders didn’t release an exact timeline other than announcing that Minshew’s season is over, a broken collarbone typically involves around a two-month recovery. To cite an apt comparison, Aaron Rodgers missed eight weeks after breaking his right collarbone in 2017.
Minshew’s injury is to his non-throwing shoulder, and the Raiders’ absence from playoff contention means that there’s no need to try and rush him back for the end of the season. Minshew signed a two-year, $25 million deal with Las Vegas last offseason, so he could be back in 2025 to compete for the starting job again or (more likely) mentor a highly drafted rookie.
How Will Minshew’s Absence Impact the Raiders?
Second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell (broken thumb) will re-enter the fray immediately in Week 13, his first game eligible to return from injured reserve. When asked if O’Connell is an option for the Raiders’ Black Friday game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Pierce gave a candid response.
“Yeah, we’re going to need somebody. We’re running out of quarterbacks too, now,” Pierce said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but obviously, it looks like he’s 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.”
The Raiders signed Desmond Ridder off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad on Oct. 21, and he filled in for Minshew when he exited during Week 12’s contest. After Minshew left the game, Ridder came in and subsequently turned the ball over on a sack-fumble.
SEE MORE: NFL Injury Report
Pierce doesn’t feel that Ridder has been around the team long enough or gotten enough reps to start. As he was being asked if he’d seen enough from Ridder to start him, Pierce cut off the reporter.
“No, not to cut you off, but no. It’s not enough reps,” Pierce explained. “When Gardner was in there [as the starter], you give him all the reps. You do some stuff, like 7-on-7, certain periods we would, but to sit there and say he’s seen enough, no.
“He has film. He’s played in this league, and, obviously, today was tough, right? Sitting on the bench the last 55 minutes and now you’re thrown in the ballgame, and he did the best he could, he fought, put us down in position obviously to try to score a touchdown at the end of the game.”
The Raiders enter their Black Friday game against the Kansas City Chiefs with an abysmal 2-9 record and are firmly on track to pick in the top five of the 2025 NFL Draft, if not first overall.