What happened to Gardner Minshew? Raiders QB out for the season with major injury

The Broncos delivered a body blow to the Raiders, quite literally, after defeating the Raiders and injuring their quarterback Gardner Minshew. The game was evenly poised with the score 26-19 in the fourth quarter when the incident happened that would rule the player out for the rest of the season.

Las Vegas had led 13-9 going into halftime and Garder Minshew would have backed himself to get the win. With just over two minutes there was enough time to engineer a drive but he was tackled and landed awkwardly on his non-throwing left shoulder.

He had to go to the locker room and Desmond Ridder came in to replace him only to fumble the ball and effectively end the game. The news went from bad to worse after the game for the Raiders, who are also missing Aidan O'Connell, as Gardner Minshew was ruled out for the season with a fractured collarbone.

Gardner Minshew's injury latest blow to Raiders QB room

The Raiders entered the 2024 NFL season with doubts surrounding their quarterback situation. Aidan O'Connell had started the previous season when Jimmy Garoppolo was benched but he had not looked elite. Instead of drafting someone in this year's draft, they chose to bring in veterans Gardner Minshew and Desmond Ridder.

With their divisional rivals having players like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Bo Nix in their engine rooms, Las Vegas was hoping that their bet to go with a game-managing veteran with previous starting experience would work out in their favor. It has not worked out that way as they are now bottom of the AFC West with the three other teams boasting a winning record after Week 12.

The Raiders started the year with Gardner Minshew but Aidan O'Connell took over the starting job, only to injure his thumb late in October. He was ruled out for four to six weeks and put on the injured reserve. He has since not been cleared to return.

With Gardner Minshew now also out for the season, it gives Desmond Ridder to step up as their third starting quarterback for 2024. After failing to impress with the Atlanta Falcons, he ended up on the Cardinals practice squad before being picked up by Las Vegas.

He has a few games to stake his claim and turn his career around. So far, he has featured in two games, including this one against the Broncos, and has thrown a touchdown with no interceptions and a passer rating of 99.5