Gardner Minshew receiving trade interest from NFL teams, three potential destinations

Could the Jaguars trade Gardner Minshew?

Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

It does not seem like too long ago that Minshew Mania was all the craze in Duval. Almost immediately after the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Gardner Minshew in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, he became a fan favorite in Florida.

A star with Washington State, Minshew jumped on to the scene as a rookie by compiling 21 touchdowns against six interceptions in 12 starts.

It led to Jacksonville trading high-priced free-agent signing Nick Foles after one season, leading to the likelihood that Minshew would be seen as the team’s franchise quarterback.

Fast forward a calendar year, and new Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer is slated to select Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence No. 1 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. What does that mean for Gardner Minshew in Duval? Well, he could be headed to another NFL city in a trade here soon.

“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,” NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday afternoon.

It’s no surprise that teams would be interested in acquiring Minshew. Despite some injury issues last season, the 24-year-old quarterback was still able to throw 16 touchdowns against five interceptions in eight starts. He did that playing for a Jaguars team that lost its final 15 games and was lacking talent clear across the board.

What teams might have interest in a Gardner Minshew trade?

Set to earn a combined base salary of less than $1.9 million over the final two years of his rookie contract, there’s no shortage of teams who might be interested in Minshew. Even those with elite-level starters could take a chance on him as a cheap QB2 option.

However, it makes more sense to focus on teams that could actually allow Minshew to compete for a starting quarterback job. He’s more than proven his worth over the first two seasons of his career.

New York Jets: If New York does indeed move off Sam Darnold ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, Minshew could be a stopgap option. The idea would be for the third-year signal caller to start over likely No. 2 pick Zach Wilson for a season. New York could then potentially flip Minshew for picks after the 2021 campaign.

Chicago Bears: It’s almost at the point where Bears fans want to tar-and-feather Bears general manager after he signed Andy Dalton to a one-year, $10 million contract. Acquiring Gardner Minshew wouldn’t change that. However, he provides much more upside than either Dalton or Nick Foles.

San Francisco 49ers: It’s not yet known if the 49ers are going to be able to make a play for Deshaun Watson. What we do know is that San Francisco’s brass is looking for insurance behind injury-plagued starter Jimmy Garoppolo. The team also coached Minshew during the 2019 Senior Bowl. He impressed head coach Kyle Shanahan.

These are just three of a number of options should the Jaguars pull off a Gardner Minshew trade. He will have interest and could even potentially compete for a starting job with another team during training camp. At the very least, it’s something to keep an eye on.