Silver And Black Pride
Exploring the pros and cons of the Las Vegas Raiders cutting or keeping the veteran signal caller
Much ado about Gardner Minshew II.
Look up potential cuts for all 32 teams and you’ll find the veteran quarterback atop many of lists for the Las Vegas Raiders to axe this offseason.
There’s merit to Minshew being the most readily identifiable cuttable Raider.
The 28-year-old was an abject failure for the Silver & Black after inking a two-year, $25 million contract ($15 million guaranteed including a $6 million signing bonus) last offseason.
Minshew and Aidan O’Connell engaged in an anticlimactic competition for the starting quarterback role under then-head coach Antonio Pierce and, at times over the course of practices and preseason games, the lackluster performance from the two made it seem like neither one wanted the signal caller role under then-offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
It got to the point where even Pierce dropped this jewel of a quote when asked about the quarterback competition: “I wish it had ended well for both gentlemen, and it just didn’t.”
Pierce named Minshew the starter and instead of Minshew Mania or Minshew Magic, it was Minshew Tragic for Las Vegas. Playing in 10 games and starting nine, the Raiders compiled a 2-7 win-loss mark with the veteran at the helm of the offense as he threw more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (nine) with 2,013 yards, a 66.3 completion percentage, absorbing 29 sacks and breaking his collarbone to end his year in the 29-19 Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos.
With all that above digested, let’s look at the pros and cons of cutting or keeping Minshew. He could be a salary cut or kept as veteran insurance — it’s hard to say 100 percent which scenario is the eventual outcome.
General manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll have several decisions to make in front of them as they build the Raiders to their liking and taking a long look at Minshew is one of them.
With a $14 million cap number for 2025 ($11.84 million base salary, $1.5 million signing bonus, and other bonuses), the performance-for-pay ratio from Minshew is absurd from the macro view.
Las Vegas can take the immediate cut route. That’ll cost the Raiders $7.66 million in dead cap this season while saving 6.34 million, according to Over The Cap. That jettison would also leave $3 million and $1.5 million in dead money in 2026 and 2027.
Las Vegas can also do a post-June 1 designation cut which will result in $4.66 million in dead money in 2025, $1.5 million in both 2026 and 2027. The immediate cap savings, however, is $9.34 million in space for 2025 and $1.5 million in 2026.
That all noted, the Raiders are one of the teams this offseason flush with salary space, though.
Freeing cap space and waxing Minshew gives the new Raiders regime a clean slate and undoes what the previous crew did in Las Vegas.
After all, Las...
