One of the advantages of being a professional athlete is gaining access to influential figures that might be out of reach for the general public, even if only for a brief encounter.

For many sports stars, this means rubbing shoulders with fellow celebrities, while for others, it means meeting prominent world leaders, an opportunity that recently presented itself to a Pro Bowl quarterback ahead of his team’s final preseason game.

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew recently had the chance to take a photo with former President Donald Trump and spend some time with the current Republican Party candidate for the 2024 election.

BREAKING: #Raiders Pro Bowl starting quarterback Gardner Minshew spent time meeting with former President Donald Trump yesterday in Las Vegas. pic.twitter.com/tZyHw6qgJu

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball)

Minshew and Trump were both beaming with smiles and giving a thumbs up during some downtime before the Raiders’ 24-24 tie in the preseason finale on Friday.

Minshew had some extra time on his hands since he didn’t participate in the final preseason game, having already wrapped up his preseason with 16-for-33 passing for 212 yards, which earned him the Week 1 starting gig over second-year QB Aidan O’Connell.

After years of being one of the league’s top backups, the Raiders gave Minshew a 2-year, $25 million deal this offseason, signaling that he would be the starter, given the significant investment.

That being said, the Raiders also gave Jimmy Garoppolo a 3-year, $72.7 million contract prior to last season, and he lasted just seven games before being benched and ultimately cut.

Minshew filled in admirably for Anthony Richardson last season when the Indianapolis Colts found themselves in a difficult situation after their star rookie went down for the season, and he will now be tasked with leading the Raiders out of obscurity following another tough season.

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