Minshew started 37 games during his five years in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts.
The 28-year-old anchors an offense that features pass-catching players, including star Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, sprinter Tre Tucker and tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer. Minshew has the intelligence to understand that he doesn’t have to make every play. With this quintet, he just has to distribute.
“I play point guard, I help my team, I take care of the ball,” Minshew added, describing how he views his job. “I just try to win any way I can.”
Minshew likely won the job over O’Connell because of his ability to make things happen after a break in play and his agility on the move, including rollouts, something Getsy has used extensively in the past. The key for the veteran quarterback will be avoiding the horrible turnovers that have plagued him at times.
The Raiders signed Minshew to a bridge QB deal this offseason. The long-term signal-caller of the future may not be on the roster, but Minshew is ready to build that bridge to somewhere.
“I think if you do those two things, you’re going to have a good day, you’re going to get better and you’re going to have a lot of fun, man, and the one thing I’ve come to understand is that being a quarterback in this league is all about winning,” he said. “If you win, nothing else really matters, and that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to try to figure out how to win games here.”
