Steelers Now
The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to part ways with veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew this offseason.
The quarterback dominoes is starting to fall at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis with another veteran quarterback now expected to hit the open market for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the coming weeks.
According to NFL Rumors, the Las Vegas Raiders are expected to release quarterback Gardner Minshew in a move that would save the team $9 million in salary cap space.
#Raiders are expected to release Gardner Minshew to free up around $9M in cap space #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/lx3kISegV1
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) February 25, 2025
Minshew joined the Raiders on a two-year, $25 million contract last offseason, but a change in regime could hint his stint in Las Vegas will be capped to just one year.
The 28-year-old had the worst quarterback rating of his six-year NFL career in 2024 while throwing for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. In Week 11, he suffered a season-ending broken collarbone.
Before joining the Raiders, Minshew served as the Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback for the 2023 season. There he had one of the better years of his professional career, throwing for a career-high 3,305 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
However, Minshew wasn’t able to replicate that kind of success in Las Vegas, which could be the reason why he is soon a free agent.
If that is the case, Minshew should have some suitors on the open market. It’s very unlikely he will earn a starting job somewhere, but there are several quarterback-needy teams that could be interested in adding a highly-experienced player like Minshew.
One of those teams is the Pittsburgh Steelers, and while they seem focused on re-signing Russell Wilson or Justin Fields, Minshew could prove to be a great backup for the right price.
The Raiders may also feel that way and decide to keep Minshew to backup whoever they add to their quarterback room this offseason. But those around the league don’t expect that to be the case with a new head coach and general manager in town.
