The Jacksonville Jaguars no longer see Gardner Minshew II as the long-term answer at quarterback with rookie Trevor Lawrence firmly entrenched as the starter. Should the Jags trade the 2019 sixth-round pick before the start of the 2021 regular season?
If you have been following the Jaguars these past few months, you are likely aware the Clemson standout and tight end Tim Tebow are getting the most of the spotlight. Meanwhile, Minshew wants a chance to compete, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, and that won’t happen in Jacksonville. The only chance the Washington State product will see the field is if Lawrence struggles or if he gets injured.
Fowler says that the San Francisco 49ers looked into potentially trading for Minshew before moving up in this year’s draft to take quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick. He adds the Jaguars would take a fifth or sixth-round selection in exchange for the former Cougar. That was before the selection meeting, is the offer still on the table? Moreover, would it make sense to deal Minshew?
Although the 2019 sixth-round pick has clear limitations, he recently ranked 23rd in a quarterback ranking. That’s not a bad spot to land in if you consider he’s no longer seen as the long-term option at the position in Duval. On the other hand, why would the Jaguars trade a top-end backup, especially one that is still on his rookie deal and is set to have a manageable cap hit of just $897,721 in 2022?
To make a potential deal even more difficult is the fact most teams are already set at quarterback, so who would be willing to trade for Minshew? Here are three potential options.
Could Gardner Minshew beat out incumbent Sam Darnold?
Trading Gardner Minshew at this point of the year wouldn’t make sense. Most teams are already set at quarterback or are in the process of sorting the situation out. Some could certainly use an upgrade, maybe the Pittsburgh Steelers or possibly the Minnesota Vikings. Nevertheless, there’s no way Ben Roethlisberger or Kirk Cousin would be benched in favor of Minshew, so who’s entering the 2021 season with a subpar quarterback room?
The Carolina Panthers kind of make sense. They dealt Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos and traded for Sam Darnold this offseason. The 2018 third overall pick might not have gotten a legitimate chance to succeed with the New York Jets. The whole organization was a dumpster fire under former head coach Adam Gase’s tenure. Darnold didn’t have a good supporting cast and was asked to carry the team. Most signal-callers, especially young ones, would falter under those circumstances.
On the other hand, the former Trojan must shoulder some of the blame for his inability to flourish in New York. The USC standout had a penchant for turning the football over and couldn’t lower his interception totals throughout his three-year stint with the Gang Green. Would Minshew be able to beat him for the starting job? Maybe, just like Darnold, he wasn’t dealt a good hand last season and a change of scenery could help him thrive. In fact, both quarterbacks might have an equal chance to start if they were to compete in training camp.
Gardner Minshew would have to beat Daniel Jones and a former teammate.
There’s a team that plays in the Big Apple that could trade for Minshew and it isn’t the Jets. After all, they took Zach Wilson with the second overall pick in 2021’s draft, and just like Trevor Lawrence, the BYU product is set to start in Week 1 of the regular season, but what about the New York Giants?
The G-Men drafted Daniel Jones with the sixth overall pick in 2019’s selection meeting. The Duke standout had a productive rookie campaign, completing 284 of 459 passes for 3,027 yards with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Nevertheless, he regressed in 2020 and threw 11 touchdowns against ten interceptions. Pro Football Focus recently ranked Jones as the 20th best signal-caller in the NFL. Moreover, the North Carolina native is most likely entering a make-or-break season.
However, the Giants already have someone in place in case Jones struggles in 2021 and he’s someone Jaguars’ fans will recognize: Mike Glennon. That’s right, the quarterback that started a few games for Jacksonville last season is currently on Big Blue’s roster. As mediocre as Glennon was for the Jags last season, the previous coaching staff thought he gave them a bigger chance to win than Minshew, would things change in New York?
Minshew would have to beat both Glennon and Jones if he wanted to start for the Giants. That would be an exciting three-way battle in training camp. It’s uncertain if Minshew’s has reached his ceiling, and New York could find out if they aren’t completely sure about the state of their quarterback room.
Could Gardner Minshew seize the starting quarterback job in Detroit?
It will be kind of weird to watch the Detroit Lions play in 2021 after trading Matthew Stafford earlier this year. It will be equally odd to see Jared Goff take the field wearing silver and blue this upcoming season. For those that aren’t aware, the 2016 first overall pick made a couple of Pro Bowl early in his NFL career. Alas, he has regressed over the last two seasons and hasn’t looked like the player that helped LA appear in Super Bowl 53.
The Rams wanted an upgrade at quarterback and traded for Stafford and in exchange, Detroit got Goff, two first-round picks, and a third-rounder. Heading into the 2021 season, the California product will try to show he can still perform at a high level. Also, he will try to convince the Lions’ brass he’s the long-term solution at quarterback. Sitting behind him on the depth chart are Tim Boyle and David Blough. Neither of them would inspire confidence in the coaching staff if Goff were to miss a few games, so this is a team that could benefit from adding someone else to their quarterback room. Enter Gardner Minshew.
The 2019 sixth-round pick doesn’t have as many accolades as Goff but could push him and even compete for the starting job. He has had a higher touchdown percentage and a lower interception rate over the last couple seasons. Furthermore, Minshew didn’t have the kind of support Goff had in Los Angeles. Although it’s not a sure thing, there’s a legitimate chance he could win a hypothetical training camp battle.
The Lions are committed to Goff right now, but things can quickly change in the NFL. Of all the potential places Minshew could be dealt to, Detroit might be the most enticing one for the quarterback. Having said that, would the Jaguars trade him?