Chiefs' Gardner Minshew Reveals Mindset To QB 'Competition'

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew is in a situation he hasn't been in too often, given how his NFL career has played out.

Often in quarterback battles in preseason, going back to his Jacksonville Jaguars days in 2019 and 2020, along with stints with the Indianapolis Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders last year, Minshew has always been in with a shot at playing in the regular season.

But now, coming to a franchise that has Patrick Mahomes as its quarterback, Minshew isn't about to beat out No. 15 for the starting role. So his position is a little different from what he is used to.

So, how does he approach it?

"Just the same," Minshew said. "Every day you're out here to get better, you know? It's for the coaches to do the competition, for them to take stats and figure out. For us, for me, it's just getting out there and getting better with every rep, trying to learn, not make the same mistakes, and push myself in the ways that the coaches are asking me to push myself."

So Minshew's approach doesn't change, and he got some nice work in the 20-17 preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals, going six for nine for 54 yards, while he also rushed for a touchdown before being asked to take a seat.

It is all a learning process, and Minshew isn't in a battle with Mahomes for the starting role; he's in a battle with himself to get better every day so that, in the event he is needed at some point in the regular season, he can operate Andy Reid's offense well enough.

Minshew feels content where he is right now, and when you have the best head coach/quarterback duo to learn from, it makes it that much easier to love what you're doing.