Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) throws the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner (27) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Chiefs’ Reid Praises Former Raider Castoff

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 10:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders have had a quarterback carousel ever since the departure of Derek Carr, and last year was no different. They began the year with their faith put in Gardner Minshew, but ended the year with Aidan O'Connell being the starter.

Not that it mattered too much, as whoever they had starting didn't really make a difference. Neither of them could make up for the lack of talent on the team last year, and neither of them was able to make a strong enough impression on the team to prevent them from looking elsewhere for a quarterback.

In a weird way, perhaps Raider Nation may feel indebted to Minshew, as if it wasn't for him and his play on the field in 2024, the Raiders wouldn't have had the opportunity to draft Ashton Jeanty or the motivation to trade for Geno Smith and revolutionize their offense.

They can't feel too thankful for Minshew yet, as after he was released by the Raiders into free agency, he decided to stay in the AFC West, but for a different team. Their bitter rival, the Kansas City Chiefs, now have Minshew as their backup, and their head coach, Andy Reid, sounded off on how well he thinks Minshew will work with Patrick Mahomes in their offense.

“He’s been there — he’s started, so he’s got that,” Reid said in his press conference. “He’s got the confidence of the guys around him. Patrick knows he’s been in there and done it, so they can bounce things off of each other".

Mahomes and Minshew faced off against one another last year, but now, as teammates, they have an opportunity to come together and make the Chiefs even more successful. His starting experience with the Raiders will come in handy if there is ever any injury to Mahomes.

“It’s always good to have peers that have played, and you can talk to them about it a little bit. I think on gameday he’ll be great with Patrick, just with what he’s seeing from the sideline and what Pat’s seeing when he’s in there".

Smith is a much better option at quarterback than Minshew, but I'm sure the Raiders aren't looking forward to seeing him across the opposing sideline. He knows the team to a fault and will be invaluable against the Raiders if he ever has the opportunity to play against them.

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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