Has “Minshew Mania” run its course in Jacksonville? Can't rule it out, unfortunately, as NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted that the Jacksonville Jaguars have been answering the phones in regards to a possible trade of their magnificently-manicured quarterback Gardner Minshew.
One QB to monitor: The #Jaguars have received a few calls from teams inquiring about QB Gardner Minshew, source said. The Jax QB room is in flux, and we’ll see where this one goes.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021
Despite a 7-13 career record in 23 games, the former Washington State standout and Mike Leach product has been nothing short of spectacular in teal-and-black, where he's thrown for 5,530 yards with 37 passing touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. After going 6-6 in his 2019 rookie campaign, Minshew went 1-7 in 2020—a slow-healing thumb injury sapping his starts.
He still threw for 16 touchdowns and just five picks in those eight games, as well as 2,259 yards passing. However, the Jaguars secured the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by going 1-15 and losing 15-straight, and new HC Urban Meyer is almost certainly going to select Clemson phenom Trevor Lawrence, which would relegate Minshew into spot duty and primary backup assignments.
The real question at hand is…who would be in the market for Gardner Minshew, and what would the return be if he's moved? A cash-strapped team could get involved, claimed PFT's Michael David Smith:
“Minshew could be an attractive option for a team without much cap space, as he’s due just $850,000 this year and $965,000 next year.”
The league's heaviest cap-crippled teams— the New Orleans Saints, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams—all have their quarterback situations seemingly solved. The Saints just locked up both Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston, the Eagles recently backed Jalen Hurts to be their guy, and the Rams specifically dealt Jared Goff to Detroit for mega-star Matt Stafford.
Could the Chicago Bears be in the mix after signing Andy Dalton to a one-year deal? Would the Houston Texans add another quarterback alongside Tyrod Taylor to continue the mind games being played with Deshaun Watson? Or does a team find a way to make the Jaguars QB the man?
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