The Jacksonville Jaguars were already being accused of tanking before the team's recent sell-off.
In the past two weeks, the Jaguars have dealt star defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to the Minnesota Vikings, released fourth-year running back Leonard Fournette, then traded safety Ronnie Harrison to the Cleveland Browns. The trades brought a slew of future draft picks for 2021, but have only fueled the tanking speculation.
Yet, shockingly, Gardner Minshew and head coach Doug Marrone don't see it that way.
“At the end of the day, if I don’t win enough games or do enough with this team, I don’t foresee me still being employed. So I’m doing everything I can to make sure that we have the best team to win football games,” Marrone said, bluntly.
Minshew echoed Marrone's self-aware sentiments.
“I think people see it from afar and see, ‘Oh they’re losing their biggest names.’ But that’s not how we feel,” Minshew said, via WJXT. “Realistically, I know if we’re tanking, coach Marrone, Dave Caldwell and [I] are probably going to be out of jobs. So I know us three and a lot of those other guys in the locker room are not going to let that crap happen. So I feel very confidently in everybody’s desire to win and that’s absolutely not anything that we envision happening.”
Minshew showed unexpected promise as a rookie after an injury to Nick Foles thrust him into the starting role. The sixth-round pick went 6-6 in 12 starts in 2019, throwing for 21 touchdowns against six interceptions—good for a 91.2 QB Rating.
But, if the Jaguars do finish towards the bottom of the league, the organization will likely look to draft a franchise quarterback who could replace Minshew—possibly Clemson star Trevor Lawrence.
The franchise committed to Minshew as the 2020 starter when they traded Foles to the Chicago Bears this offseason. As the incumbent, Minshew is “excited” about leading a young roster.
“I think with that youth comes a lot of energy, a lot of excitement and not much ego. I think everybody is coming together in a great way,” Minshew said. “And more than anything, I’m just excited to get everybody out there for the first time and really see what we’ve got.”
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