The Jacksonville Jaguars have gone through a meaningful makeover in the last few days, bringing back key contributors from last season and signing free agents to give their roster a makeover. One player who may not be around in the regular season to see all the changes new head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke have made is quarterback Gardner Minshew, who has been the subject of trade talks.
Teams have been are inquiring with the Jags about just how available Minshew he is, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. He cites the fact Jacksonville will most likely take Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first overall selection in 2021’s draft and Minshew’s starting experience as reasons why clubs are asking whether he’s available.
A sixth-round selection in 2019, Minshew appeared in 12 games, with six starts in his rookie season, going 285-of-470 for 3,271 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. Heading into the 2020 season, he had a shot to seize Jacksonville’s starting quarterback job but ended up falling short, completing 216 of 327 passes for 2,259 yards with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight starts.
Minshew may not be part of the Jaguars’ long-term plans, so it would make sense for the organization to trade him and get something in return for him. Here are three potential landing spots for the Washington State product.
Bill Belichick should consider giving the Jacksonville Jaguars a call.
What a difference a season makes. Not long ago, it was common to ask who deserved more credit for the New England Patriots’ success in the last two decades, head coach Bill Belichick or quarterback Tom Brady. Although the latter went on to win Super Bowl 55 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he was surrounded by top-notch talent, so saying he alone won the championship would short-sighted. He was one of the reasons why the Bucs won, not THE reason why they did.
Meanwhile, the Pats failed to make the playoffs for the second time in 18 years. However, the reasons why they didn’t qualify for the postseason went beyond the quarterback position, as key players such as offensive tackle Marcus Cannon, linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns.
Although Cannon won’t return to Foxborough in 2021, Hightower and Chug will. Also, New England has been one of the most aggressive teams in free agency, signing wide receiver Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, and safety Jalen Mills.
The Patriots now just need a competent signal-caller to take advantage of all the talent they have added this offseason. They re-signed Cam Newton but his team-friendly contract gives New England the chance to explore other options at the position, so they can still bring in another quarterback to compete for the starting job. That’s where Gardner Minshew would come in.
The Jacksonville Jaguars could do business with another AFC East team.
If the Patriots aren’t interested in trading for Gardner Minshew, maybe another AFC South team could come calling. The Miami Dolphins already have a starting quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa but as recently as late February, they were expected to be in the mix to acquire Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. In fact, the Clemson standout cited the Phins as his second-favorite landing destination in case he were traded.
Also, there’s a chance the Dolphins take a quarterback early in 2021’s draft, so it’s not a given the Alabama standout will be their Day 1 starter this upcoming season. On the other hand, if they don’t trade for Watson or draft a quarterback prospect, they could bring in someone to compete with the Tagovailoa.
Minshew may be among the kings of garbage time stats, but he has plenty of starting experience and his presence in Miami would make for an interesting training camp. Furthermore, the Dolphins need to fill the void Ryan Fitzpatrick left when he signed a one-year deal with the Washington Football Team.
Tagovailoa may or may not become the Dolphins’ franchise quarterback, but it seems like they don’t wait to find out and are already looking for Plan B. If they haven’t called the Jaguars about Minshew, they should go ahead and do it.
The Jacksonville Jaguars could also trade Gardner Minshew out of the AFC.
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy knows he’s walking on thin ice and could get the boot if he doesn’t fix the team’s quarterback situation after missing on Mitchell Trubisky. Although the team will likely move on from the 2017 second overall pick this offseason, they are far from having the quarterback position figured out.
The Bears made an aggressive push to acquire Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson this offseason but were ultimately turned down even though they had put together a package of premium picks. Chicago offered three first-round picks, a third-round selection, and two unnamed starters, per Dan Patrick of Dan Patrick Show.
Although the Bears signed Andy Dalton to a one-year $10 million contract after being rejected by the Hawks, it’s unlikely they feel comfortable with the state of the quarterback position heading into the 2021 season and will probably look for ways to upgrade the quarterback position. Gardner Minshew is significantly younger than the Red Rifle and could have a career revival in the Windy City.
Before becoming Bears head coach, Nagy was known for his expertise on offense. He could try to get the most out of Minshew to get out of the hot seat. Chicago came up as a potential destination for the quarterback in case the Jaguars decided to trade him in a recent list and they show up once again in this one.