The Las Vegas Raiders are experiencing an offseaon in which the entire franchise is engulfed in optimism, as Mark Davis has set the sail of the ship in one direction, led by GM Tom Telesco, and ultimately Coach Antonio Pierce.
That optimism set the groundwork for something special in 2024, and that sense of optimism is prevalent everywhere in the organization.
The Las Vegas Raiders understand the value of strong competition at every position, and the signing of QB Gardner Minshew speaks to that; we caught up with him this week at OTAs and have everything he said.
You can watch everything he said below, or if you prefer, you can listen by clicking right here and reading the transcript below.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew
Q: What’s it been like out here so far with the guys? Minshew: “It’s been awesome, man. The energy has been great. I think we’ve been preparing the right way, guys are showing up ready to work, and I really like what we’re building as an offense, as a team. Man, it’s been a lot of fun.”
Q: How have you felt like the offense has been picking up the new offense with Luke Getsy? Minshew: “I think it’s been really good. Obviously, not every day is perfect, there’s been some ups and downs, but I think more ups than downs. And we’re playing against a good team across the ball. Our defense is doing some great stuff, really challenging us, and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Q: You’ve been in this situation where you had to pick up a new offense. Are there any tricks to the trade that you’ve learned to be able to streamline that process? Minshew: “Yeah, I think you kind of learn how you learn best. I think for me, it’s a lot of voice recordings, hearing the play and walking through. Drawing it up doesn’t do as much for me personally. So, I think just figuring out what works for you, and then implementing that as much as you need to.”
Q: What’s been different about Vegas that’s made you feel the most comfortable than you have in the past? Minshew: “That’s a great question. Man, honestly, it’s the guys, the energy. As soon as I walked in this building, the first day that I signed, you can just feel it from the defense, offense, coaches. Everybody feels like they’re pulling in the same direction and wants to get this thing going the right way. And I think if everybody’s on the same page, we will be able to get it done.”
Q: How would you describe the quarterback competition between yourself and Aidan O’Connell? Minshew: “It’s been great, man. I think we both put together a good camp so far, man, been pushing each other. But also, just enjoying each other, enjoying our room. We got an awesome room not only with Aidan [O’Connell], but with Anthony {Brown Jr.] and Carter [Bradley]. We’re having a ton of fun right now being very competitive, and I think that’s only going to make our team better.”
Q: How hard or how easy is it then to find that line between being a good teammate, but also, you’re competing, and you want the job yourself? Minshew: “Yeah, I mean, I think as any real competitor, you don’t want them to be worse, you want yourself to be better. So, the better he is, if I’m beating him out, that means I’m just raising it that much more. So, that’s kind of how I’ve always viewed it, like if he’s pushing me and he’s completing every pass, I got to figure out a way to do better. So, I think that’s the only way to really ever improve.”
Q: Have you had a direct conversation about like, I understand we’re competing, but this is how our relationship is going to work? Is that a conversation that happens? Minshew: “Not really, man, it’s been pretty smooth. I think we had initial conversations of just getting to know each other. And I mean, one good thing about Aidan [O’Connell] is he’s a team guy, I’m a team guy, we both want to win, we both want to get better. So, I mean, there’s really not much conflict of interest there.”
Q: What stood out the most about Aidan on the field now that you’ve been with him? Minshew: “Yeah, I think he’s super smart and he’s super accurate. As a young guy, he really understands football, understands progressions, timing. And man, it’s fun to watch him interact with the guys, man, he has ton of energy. And he’s just a lot of fun to be around.”
Q: I know we haven’t seen him out here yet, but have you had some conversations with Davante Adams? And what are you looking forward to most in terms of maybe learning from his angle being one of the best receivers in the league? Minshew: “Oh, absolutely, I’ve had a ton of conversations with Davante [Adams]. He hasn’t been out yet, but I’m super excited to get to work with him, man. I’ve been watching a lot of his stuff with the Packers back with [Aaron] Rodgers, that was a lot of [Luke] Gesty stuff. And a lot of the concepts that I’ve been seeing them run on tape for years, we’re finally getting to run and kind of getting the minutiae of the detail of what he likes, why they’re getting to it versus certain looks. It’s been some awesome insight, and just really looking forward to getting into that more.”
Q: You spoke on how challenging the defense has been against what you guys are trying to do in practice. How has that helped you elevate your game? Minshew: “Oh, it’s huge, man, you got to be ready. Typically coming in, you get day one looks, day two looks, it’s pretty base, pretty vanilla. Our defense is coming out, guns blazing first day, and that really makes you be on your stuff. Not only to know what you have on perfect looks, but when things break down, when it’s not an ideal look on a play, how are you going to make it work? And I think we’ve been doing a good job of that through camp.”
Q: Whether on offense or defense, who has stuck out to you the most so far? Minshew: “Man, I’d say Christian Wilkins. That dude is running so fast every single play. Wherever the ball is, you’ll see him soon. He shows up. It’s really impressive to be around a guy that nonstop works the way he does.”
Q: We know the interaction with Maxx Crosby last year, but I think he’s notorious at practice for going after his own guys to inspire some competition. Have you experienced that since you’ve been here? Minshew: “Oh, yeah, absolutely. The first day, I think he was trying to send a message, but I had to send a message back. Nah, it’s been fun, man. He’s competitive, he’s going to push it to the limit. And like you’re saying, with everything else the defense is doing like that’s only going to make us better. And it makes practice a lot of fun too.”
Q: As a veteran in this league, there’s been some talk and the commissioner brought up the potential of going to an 18-game season. As a veteran, is that something that you’ve thought about? What are your thoughts on that potential game and the Super Bowl may even be moved to mid-February? Minshew: “Yeah, I don’t really think about that too much. I think we kind of signed that away in our last CBA. They kind of got that right from us, and I don’t think they’re going give it back. So, we’ll be playing more games and more games until we get a little more leverage to be able to do something about it.”
Q: What about the offseason program? Do you favor moving everything back? Minshew: “I don’t know, man. I see the pros and cons both ways. It’ll shake out the way it shakes out, and we’ll show up when they tell us to show up.”
Q: I asked one of the DB coaches if he likes to have his players have communication sort of organically with the quarterbacks, so they’re understanding the nuances. On the flip side, do you like to also maybe have conversations with the DBs? Minshew: “Oh, absolutely. A guy like Marcus Epps, I was with him in Philly. He’s always been a player I respect, he’s a smart player, hard-nosed football player. Anytime I get to kind of pick his brain or if he comes up to me, hey, that was nice. You know we’re on the right track and doing some good stuff when you get that overlap.”
Q: What do you think are some of the similarities and differences between you and Aidan O’Connell’s game that makes this competition so unique? Minshew: “Yeah, I think one of the best traits both of us have is just kind of decision making, kind of keeping us on track, keeping the ball moving forward. I think that’s been one thing that’s like on our good days, man, it’s just been completion, completion, completion. And I think it’s been fun, man. I think we lead in different ways, but both of us take charge of the huddle and get the team moving.”
Q: What are your early impressions of Brock Bowers out there? Minshew: “I mean, he gets open, he catches the ball. We’re not like tackling or anything right now, but after he catches it, he looks pretty good too. That’s the thing, there’s a lot of guys out there doing that, getting open and catching the ball. A lot of exciting times around here, for sure.”
Q: Last time we talked to you, you were just getting to Vegas. What’s your impression of living here and being around the city? Minshew: “I love it, man. I’m loving it. I’ve gone to the sphere, seen Dead & Company, that was pretty cool. Don’t get to do that everywhere. But man, it’s a great place to live, I live here by the facility. The facility is amazing, got everything we need here, so it’s a great setup.”
Q: Have you become an Aces fan yet? Minshew: “Not yet. I’m going to need to, man, they keep winning, sheesh.”
Q: Last season you probably played the most in your career so far. What did you kind of learn about yourself through that experience? Minshew: “Yeah, man, I think last year is just got to win, no matter how that looks, whether we’re running the ball 50 times or throwing it 50 times, defense is playing great, offense is playing great. At the end of the day, you’re getting judged for wins and losses, and however you can help your team to do that, I think as is all you can really do.”
