The Jaguars’ parting of ways with Gardner Minshew, which seemed sort of inevitable since the March signing of free agent quarterback C.J. Beathard, ended up coming off both as awkward and pretty much necessary.
It was by no means the bitter divorce when Jalen Ramsey got traded to the Los Angeles Rams or the business-like, salary-cap purge of dealing Calais Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens.
But the whole Minshew Mania thing had obviously run its course. Though Urban Meyer gave Minshew a surprising amount of first-team reps over Trevor Lawrence in training camp — clearly as a message that even a No. 1 overall draft pick wasn’t being handed a starting job — his last two weeks on the job apparently convinced the Jaguars there was no longer a compelling reason to keep him around.
After Sunday’s 34-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the final preseason game, Meyer didn’t specifically address why Minshew was traded Saturday to the Philadelphia Eagles. He complimented his warrior mentality and how he’d always be a “big fan” of his career moving forward, then moved on.
Clearly, a combination of MInshew’s so-so performances in two preseason appearances and the Eagles’ desire to retain him as an insurance policy behind Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco set the wheels in motion.
For starters, Minshew had some cringe-worthy plays in last week’s preseason loss to the New Orleans Saints. With the Eagles — where former Jaguars’ GM Dave Caldwell is employed as a personnel executive — offering the decent trade value of a conditional sixth-round draft pick, on top of Beathard’s superb play in the first two preseason games, shipping Minshew to Philly felt like a separation of convenience.
So just like that, the greatest character and fun-loving player in team history is no longer a Jaguar. Fittingly, Minshew left with mostly an appropriate thanks-for-the-memories reaction from fans on social media and others who were intimately a part of his memorable 2019 rookie season.
“His teammates, fans, media, coaches, they all liked him,” said former Jaguars’ head coach Doug Marrone, now the offensive line coach at Alabama, in a phone interview Sunday. “There’s nothing negative you can say about the way he presented himself or worked. There’s great appreciation for what he did.”
What Minshew did, sporting that trademark headband and handlebar moustache right out of the 1970s, was bring an entertainment factor quite unlike anybody who ever suited up for the Jaguars. Sure, his arm strength might have been average at best, but Minshew’s personality, swagger and fashion style immediately made him a fan favorite.
After being thrust into the spotlight in the 2019 season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs when starter Nick Foles broke his collarbone, Minshew ultimately showed he was more than just a loveable, eccentric quarterback wearing jorts. He could actually come in and win games, going 6-6 as a starter.
Minshew twice rallied the Jaguars from double-digit, second-half deficits on the road against the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders, plus came within inches on a Leonard Fournette failed two-point conversion run of doing the same at Houston. No Jaguars’ quarterback since Mark Brunell in 1996 staged comebacks that riveting.
Who could forget one of the best improvisational plays in Jaguars’ history against Denver, which ignited the 26-24 win and recovery from a 17-6 halftime deficit? Minshew danced around the pocket, sidestepping four Broncos’ defenders to avoid a sack, then found running back Ryquell Armstead in the left corner of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown.
“I vaguely remember that play,” Marrone said. “That’s something you saw in college [at Washington State] where he was able to feel the rush, avoid it and keep his eyes down the field. He had pocket awareness to shift and move around.”
Beyond football, the 25-year-old quarterback also had the presence of mind to creatively expand his brand. Minshew, with his playful demeanor off the field and a quick trigger when it came to delivering one-liners, capitalized on his fan popularity during and after that breakout rookie season.
He filmed an NFL Network commercial at TIAA Bank Field with Uncle Rico of “Napoleon Dynamite” fame, then went out and added to his growing appeal a few days later by leading the comeback win at Denver.
During the offseason, the Jaguars’ folk hero cashed in on marketing opportunities with Snickers and Breaking T, a sports apparel company. When he decided to tour the country in an RV, making stops in 13 states over 17 days, a Jacksonville RV company provided him with free transportation.
That trip attracted so much interest on social media, Minshew became a must-get guest for national media leading up to the Super Bowl. He didn’t know how long the public infatuation with his unique celebrity would last, so the sixth-round draft pick took full advantage of his magnetic appeal.
He didn’t care one iota about political correctness. Minshew spoke his mind, further endearing himself to small-market Jacksonville by saying on an ESPN podcast that the city had “just the right amount of white-trashiness for me.”
Unfortunately, Minshew was no more immune to how fleeting NFL fame can be than anyone else. The magic of his rookie season disappeared after about two games in 2020. Minshew then became too competitive for his own good, turning off the coaching staff when he tried to hide a hand injury so he could continue playing.
Last year’s 1-15 record changed everything. The more tape opponents got to see from Minshew, the less effective he became, though the Jaguars’ horrid defense also made it difficult for him to replicate being Captain Comeback.
Once the Jaguars secured access to drafting Lawrence, and the rumors started over the spring that the team was exploring a trade, Minshew was seemingly living on borrowed time. The lovable underdog became, well, expendable.
Now he’s off to Philly, hoping to reinvent himself with one of the NFL’s most intense and demanding fan bases. Put in the right situation, it’s not inconceivable Minshew could be just good enough to collect an NFL paycheck for another 10 years.
Maybe he can have another run in Philly or elsewhere like he did in 2019. It’s possible he could join a quartet of former Jaguars' quarterbacks (Mark Brunell, Byron Leftwich, Blaine Gabbert, Chad Henne) who have collected a Super Bowl ring as a clipboard-holding backup.
One thing Minshew fans know for certain: you can never quite count out the quarterback with a colorful personality and relentless desire to prove his naysayers wrong.
Whenever he makes his return to TIAA Bank Field, either as somebody else’s quarterback or as part of some Jaguars’ alumni event, Minshew will likely get a warm, prolonged ovation. And deservedly so.
This is Trevor Lawrence’s team now and may well be for the next 15 years. But for the brief time Gardner Minshew wore black and teal, he was both a serviceable quarterback and one tantalizingly entertaining showman.
