NFL free agency is just around the corner, and another veteran quarterback is hitting the market. After trying but failing to land Matthew Stafford via trade, the Las Vegas Raiders have informed Gardner Minshew he will be released at the start of the league year on March 12, as NFL Media reported.
Minshew is still owed $3.16 million in guaranteed money from the two-year, $25 million contract he signed with the Raiders last offseason. His release will save Las Vegas at least $6.3 million against the 2025 salary cap, per Over the Cap, and clear the way for the Raiders to reset the position under new coach Pete Carroll.
The 28-year-old Minshew started nine games for Las Vegas in 2024, throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (9) while logging a 2-7 record. Despite opening the season under center, he was benched on multiple occasions, ultimately finishing the year on injured reserve with a broken collarbone.
Minshew’s tumultuous Raiders stint came one year after he started 13 games for the Indianapolis Colts, nearly guiding the AFC South squad to the playoffs in place of the injured Anthony Richardson. He’s started multiple games in each of his first six seasons, but the former Jacksonville Jaguars fan favorite will now be looking to join his fourth different team in as many years during the 2025 offseason.
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The Raiders, meanwhile, have been linked to practically every available quarterback in the lead-up to free agency, including potential first-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders and veterans like Aaron Rodgers, Sam Darnold and Russell Wilson, the latter of whom has a history of playing under Carroll.
