The Best QB Left on the Market That No One Is Talking About
What if I told you there’s a QB available with a higher passer rating than Matt Ryan, more rushing yards than Ryan Tannehill, a better TD-INT ratio than Deshaun Watson, and available for a fraction of the price? Oh, and he’s just 24 years old.
Since the NFL season has ended, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding QBs moving to new teams. Carson Wentz has reunited with his former OC Frank Richt in Indianapolis, Matt Stafford got traded to the Rams in exchange for Jared Goff, and with many more teams left in need of a QB, there is news every week regarding the future of Deshaun Watson.
However, what if I told you there’s a QB available with a higher passer rating than Matt Ryan, more rushing yards than Ryan Tannehill, a better TD-INT ratio than Deshaun Watson, and available for a fraction of the price? The name …
Gardner Minshew
If you find yourself appalled, the following stats may surprise you.
Since He Was Drafted in 2019…
- Minshew has thrown 37 TDs to just 11 INTs (a ratio of 3.36 — 7th in the NFL and higher than Watson’s 3.11)
- Minshew’s passer rating of 93.1 ranks 17th out of 44 QBs with at least 200 pass attempts (higher than players like Matt Ryan, Kyler Murray, and Ben Roethlisberger)
- Minshew averages 23 yards rushing per game in his 20 starts, 8th in the NFL — higher than Ryan Tannehill (17.2) and just a few yards below players like Deshaun Watson (27.6) and Russell Wilson (26.7)
Record as a Starter
Now, his 7–13 career record as a starter doesn’t blow anyone away, but when you put it in context, it becomes as impressive as many of his other accolades
- Jaguars are 7–25 since 2019. They are 7–13 when Minshew starts and 0–12 when anyone else starts. (This includes Minshew’s 0–3 record this year when he was playing with a broken thumb from weeks 5–7)
- In his 20 starts, the Jags were outscored by an average of 5.8 points per game. They were outscored by 14 points per game in all other games.
- Going back even further, in the last decade, 5 QBs have started 5+ games for the Jags. Of the 5, Minshew’s win % is the highest (Minshew — 35%, Bortles — 33%, Henne — 23%, Gabbert — 19%, Glennon — 0%)
Now, do I think Gardner Minshew is better than Deshaun Watson? No.
Do I think on a good team he could have a career resurgence a-la Ryan Tannehill? Yes.
The asking price for Minshew is fairly unknown, but given that the Jags have the #1 overall pick and are likely using it to select Clemson wonder-prospect Trevor Lawrence, Minshew is merely an insurance policy they hope they won’t need.
For teams like the Patriots or the Washington Football team that are just a QB away from taking that next step and aren’t guaranteed their choice of QB in the draft, grabbing a guy like Minshew who carries a cap hit of under $1million, makes way too much sense not to consider.
