Jaguars ship Gardner Minshew to Eagles

Jacksonville Jaguars Training Camp
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The goofiest quarterback competition of 2021 ended with Trevor Lawrence beating out Gardner Minshew, who notoriously said last month that he hasn’t moved his bowels in weeks because “No. 2 is not an option.”

Minshew will now have a chance, in theory, to become something more than No. 2 in Philadelphia.

The Jaguars are trading Minshew to the Eagles, we’re told. Jacksonville gets a sixth-round pick in 2022. It can become a fifth-rounder based on playing time.

Minshew, who inherited the starting job in Jacksonville in Week One of his rookie season after Nick Foles broke a collarbone, has 37 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in two seasons.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Jalen Hurts remains the starter and Joe Flacco will be the backup. Minshew, at a base salary of only $850,000, provides depth in a 17-game season with the ever-present specter of COVID knocking players out, vaccinated or not.

The Jaguars got Minshew in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. They presumably were hoping for more for Minshew, and it’s now safe to conclude (given what they took for him) that the quarterback competition was aimed at propping Minshew up in the hopes of getting more than what they got. And it didn’t work.

71 responses to “Jaguars ship Gardner Minshew to Eagles

  1. Bit odd move for both teams. Jags give up their best back up for pennies and the Eagles trae for a #3 when they could just sign someone off the streets and keep that pick?

  2. This guy just needs a chance on a decent team. He can start and play well in this league on any team that isn’t a dumpster fire like the Jags.

  3. Minshew couldn’t even fetch a 4th? I’m really surprised by that. With a good supporting cast he could be really good. He impressed in JAX with a rough supporting cast…

  4. The Jags could have gotten a higher pic than this. This is a good pickup for the Eagles. Minshew could end up starting for the Eagles eventually

  5. This is a little surprising to me. With just a little more effort, Philadelphia could certainly have gotten Saint Nick Foles back from the Bears. Iggles fans would have rejoiced at his return.

  6. OBP said it best … odd. Just odd. No offense to @mlhigh tho I disagree on the assessment. A sixth rounder is hardly “draft capital” (few sixth rounders make so big an impact, if any) compared to what might be a win in a weak QB room. Low risk. Mind you I don’t think Minshew brings much to the table but neither side gained or lost much of anything.

  7. It’s literally just getting the only other option out of the locker room. We all knew Minshew was pretty good. They don’t want fans to bail on Lawrence too soon. If you don’t have a good back up than no one can start a mutiny if Lawrence fails miserably.

  8. Minshew will 100% be the #2 QB now. The Eagles can turn the 6th into a 5th if he plays 50% of the snaps in at least 3 games. It’s very clear they are not sold at all on Hurts and Flacco is not a great backup plan. Minshew has 27td/11int as a starter. Played well on bad Jags teams and I think Philly fans will love this guy. Look how he won over Jags fans. Also to those saying they should’ve got Foles…Minshew beat Foles for the Jags job and was way better. Foles also has 2 years left on his $88 mil deal which is why nobody wants him and Bears are stuck with him as their 3rd stringer.

  9. Gardner Minshew is a good player. His stats, 37 TDs to 11 interceptions, prove it, but you can see it with your eyes. I’m sure the Eagles are thrilled to have him, even if it’s not clear what role he will play. I’m surprised he didn’t get a better opportunity though, or fetch more in a trade. Howie knows good value though, and that’s good value. He’s a player, and a leader.

  10. There was zero chance any Jags fan was going to bail on Lawrence and call for Minshew to play.

  11. Gardner Minshew looks like the guy you go to,to figure out where and what the best lawnmower to buy.

  12. His bowels hasn’t moved in weeks because No.2 is not an option,,,

    He’s got a future in comedy

  13. Can’t believe that the Colts wouldn’t have given them a bit of a better deal, losing Ehlinger for the season. I’d start Minshew over Wentz, even if Wentz were healthy.

  14. So when Lawrence gets broken in half because of a terrible oline.. who do they have backing him up? Sorry Jags fans. Meyer is going to prove to be a terrible mistake. Spurrier-esque.

  15. Only a knucklehead would trade for him and not know that he’s instantly better than Hurts and Flacco. He’s going to be their starting QB. It’s only a question of which game he takes over.

  16. So the Jags are all in on Trevor to the point that they’re now working without a safety net at QB. The decisions that Urban Meyer is making get curiouser and curiouser. Good luck, Jags fans.

  17. They were cutting him tomorrow and going with Beatherd. Say what you will but Mishew was outplayed in 2 games by Beatherd. Plus they paid Beatherd $2.5 million guaranteed. This was a last minute attempt to create value from a bad position. 6th round or nothing was inevitable at this point. Let’s hope it never matters bc Trevor stays upright.

  18. So much for the Eagles grabbing Watson, at least for this year. Minshew needs to show he can take the starting job and win for a team that isnt trying to tank a season. If not, he will stay a career backup. I think he can do it …

  19. I’m not as high on Minshew as some of the comments, but I think he’s at worst a top tier backup and fill-in starter and probably could win a few QB1 battles on lesser teams.

  20. If Minshew can get the chance to show his talent with a good team he would win a starting job somewhere the following season.

  21. The Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence, perhaps the most highly rated QB to ever come out of college. I don’t remember what the Steelers got for Terry Hanratty once Terry Bradshaw joined the team, and I don’t even remember who Indy’s QB was when they drafted Peyton Manning. I should remember who Troy Aikman replaced in Dallas, but I don’t. Nobody is going to remember or care about when Gardner Minshew was the Jaguars QB, or where he went afterwards, or how much they got in a trade. The goal is to get a HOF QB, and that’s exactly what Jacksonville did.

  22. Coach Redd says:
    August 28, 2021 at 10:38 am
    OBP said it best … odd. Just odd. No offense to @mlhigh tho I disagree on the assessment. A sixth rounder is hardly “draft capital” (few sixth rounders make so big an impact, if any) compared to what might be a win in a weak QB room. Low risk. Mind you I don’t think Minshew brings much to the table but neither side gained or lost much of anything.
    —————————————————————————————————
    Minshew doesn’t bring much to the table? He was one of the few bright spots on a horrible team. Do you even watch football?

  23. Coach Redd says:
    August 28, 2021 at 10:38 am.
    A sixth rounder is hardly “draft capital” (few sixth rounders make so big an impact, if any) …

    If any? IF ANY!?!?! I agree with saying “few”, but how can you say “if any” with a straight face?! C’mon man. Are you really a coach?

    You know there is still a GOAT out there rewriting history …

  24. Did the Eagles get the memo that in a couple of days there will be numerous potential #3 QBs on the street available to sign without any draft capital?

  25. Making room to bring Tebow back, this time as a QB.
    But seriously, the Mustache was the only reason to watch a Jags game the last two years.

  26. Looks like the Texans wanted more than the Eagles we’re going to part with on trading for Deshaun Watson.

    Plan B: Gardner Minshew

  27. This is a puzzling move by the Jags. He is a very good backup for when the Jags offensive line gets Lawrence injured. Minshew did a pretty good job last year on a pretty lousy team. I could see trading him for a 3rd round pick but just getting a sixth (and maybe a fifth) for a quality backup with a very low salary just doesn’t make any sense.

    On the other side of the coin I think this is a good trade for the Eagles. They don’t give up much for a quality backup. I wouldn’t be surprised if Minshew ends up the starter, or at least the #2, at some point during the season. He’s a competitor.

  28. The only reason the Jags are going with Beathard is that he is content holding a clipboard. Minshew wants to play.

  29. Meanwhile Ryan Pace gets stuck with his thumb in his behind with a QB contract (Foles) he cannot dump….

  30. Good move by the Eagles. He’s definitely worth more than a 6th round pick. Surprised the Jags couldn’t have got at least a 4th for him

  31. Great trade for the Eagles. Minshew is better than Hurts, Flacco and Wentz. He’s the best QB from the 2019 draft. Long-term he has a better chance than Murray.

  32. I hope he does well in his new venture. When we drafted him I said I hope he can play, because he is super entertaining. When he went in game one of the 1st game of the season, he played lights out. A smart accurate cerebral player who is uber competitive. Doesnt have all the physical traits, but a fierce competitor. Similar to Jalen Hurts in many ways. I think the Eagles got a great deal on him. Happy for Gardner as he just wants to play.

  33. charliecharger says:
    August 28, 2021 at 11:08 am
    The Jaguars have Trevor Lawrence, perhaps the most highly rated QB to ever come out of college. I don’t remember what the Steelers got for Terry Hanratty once Terry Bradshaw joined the team
    ————————————————————-
    Hanratty was not traded. Bradshaw struggled quite a bit in his first two seasons. Joe Gilliam was also on the roster and started 6 games in 1974. The only reason this deal was made was to get Minshew out of town so when the Jags fans can’t start calling for him if/when Lawrence struggles. And you are correlating “Most highly rated QB coming out of college” with the jump to the HOF? LOL..

  34. Minshew will likely find success in Philadelphia. Hurts and Flacco will both flame out because of injury, interceptions, and weak leadership. Minshew will come off the bench and win some close ones. The hard edged Philadelphia fans will embrace Minshew’s rugged and grungy style and will to win. The NFC East is likely to be even weaker than ever. Minshew will impress.

  35. It really is amazing and sad to see how many good players never get a realistic opportunity to prove what they can do.

  36. There is no way he sees the field when the Eagles starter can complete 52% of his passes.

  37. Eagles….put it on the board….championship……lol….luckiest sb in the history of the NFL.

  38. He’s way better than Joe Flacco right now and wouldn’t be surprised if you starting over Jalen Hurts by week four the season

  39. This is a terrific trade for the Eagles. I would prefer Minshew over half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL. No joke!

  40. Like it cause I’m not sold on hurts and I know Flacco isn’t the answer. Bleed green

  41. Minshew is excellent. This is a total steal by the Eagles. The idiot Belichick should have snarfed this giveaway up.

  42. mlhigh77 says:
    August 28, 2021 at 10:27 am
    The Eagles are a joke. Giving up draft capitol for a journey man qb backup?? Wow.
    ——-
    A Broncos fan criticizing another team about their QB choice? Come on man you know the Broncos would have traded a 2nd round pick and both the “journeyman” QB’s you have now for the mustache

  43. “For better or worse, we are quarterback developers,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “We want to be a quarterback factory. When we make these kinds of decisions, we always go to our principles and who we are and what we believe in, and right or wrong, this is who we are.”

  44. Bizarre move by the Jags. He was making less than $1 million which is riduculously cheap for any QB and given he is actually pretty good he had to be the best value dollar-for-dollar in the entire league. And he’d been around long enough and had enough success that Lawrence could actually learn some things from him which you cannot say about Beathard. And they give him away for a 6th round pick? He could legitmately end up the Eagles’s starter. What an absolute gift to them.

  45. Minshew is a fan darling for… people who don’t understand football.

    He is a classic backup who is adequate at spelling a starter. He isn’t nearly as good people think he is. His stats are mostly fluff… complied while the jags were way behind. That’s not necessarily his fault, as the Jags have been a poor team… however… the holes in his game are pretty apparent.

    His arm strength… is poor. VERY POOR, and sadly that can’t be coached. It’s not even close to being average, and defenses eventually made him pay after his rookie season. It’s easily picked up on film.

    His short accuracy is also less than his “football card” numbers indicate.

    He also could potentially save the Eagles quite a bit of money by cutting Joe Flacco, who despite having only a 3.5 million dollar contract…he could also earn 4 million in incentives…

    Minshew saves a decent chunk over that, and is just as adequate as a #2 ,as Flacco in that regard.

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