The Las Vegas Raiders have confirmed that Gardner Minshew will be the starting quarterback when they kick off the NFL regular season on September 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Head coach Antonio Pierce shared on Sunday that the veteran player earned the starting role over Aidan O’Connell.

Minshew stepped in as the starter for the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5 of the previous season after Anthony Richardson suffered a serious shoulder injury. During his time as a starter, Minshew achieved a personal best with 3,305 passing yards, completing 62.2% of his throws, and scoring 15 touchdowns against 9 interceptions. Additionally, he rushed for three touchdowns.

With Richardson back on the field, Minshew opted to sign a two-year contract worth $25 million with the Raiders this offseason.

Aidan O’Connell, who was selected in the fourth round of the draft the previous year, started the season as the third-string quarterback for the Raiders but eventually took the field for 10 games as a rookie after injuries to Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer.

Nevertheless, his prospects dimmed following a pick-six during the early fourth quarter of Saturday’s preseason defeat against the Dallas Cowboys.

“I hoped for a better outcome for both players, but that wasn’t the case,” Pierce mentioned to reporters while making the announcement. “Both had their chances.”

This marks the first occasion in Minshew’s NFL career where he will start the season as his team’s quarterback.