Gardner Minshew makes a statement on first day with Las Vegas Raiders

Quarterback Gardner Minshew made a statement with his entrance to the Las Vegas Raiders facilities on Monday. The former Indianapolis Colts starter pulled up to day one of the spring workout program wearing a Nike crew sweater with the phrase, “Lil Ass Boy,” scrolled across the front.

The peculiar motto is a callback from last season when Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby used it as an insult following a takedown during their matchup in December. Clearly, Minshew can laugh about it now and he had the last laugh then, too, as the Colts beat Las Vegas 23-20. Now, the two foes are teammates.

Boss locker room move by Gardner Minshew on first day of offseason program. 😂 pic.twitter.com/uTTOQh5tLv

— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) April 16, 2024

The former Colts quarterback signed a two-year deal for a whopping $25 million last month, making it the biggest contract of his career to date. His last deal with Indianapolis was for one year, $3.5 million. Minshew now has the opportunity to take over the Raiders offense and bring stability after a year of back-and-forth with Jimmy Garoppolo and Aidan O’Connell.

Minshew signs two-year deal to join Raiders

Last season, Minshew was essentially the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts after the injury to rookie Anthony Richardson. Though the Colts missed out on the playoffs, the former Jaguars starter led them to a 9-8 finish while throwing 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He completed 62.2% of his passes while throwing for 3,305 yards.

By joining the Raiders, Minshew has the chance to make a start for his fourth NFL team in six seasons. So far, he’s started for the Jaguars, the Eagles and the Colts. In his first five seasons, the former Washington State star has accumulated 9,937 passing yards, 59 touchdowns, 24 interceptions and an additional 621 rushing yards.

The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Minshew with the No. 178 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He entered the league in the same draft class as his new teammate Maxx Crosby, though Crosby went in the fourth round and quickly became one the league’s best defenders. The former Eastern Michigan star has 52 career sacks already, including the one last season against his new QB. He hit a career-high of 14.5 sacks in 2023 after signing a new four-year deal for $94 million in 2022.