Minshew Mania heads to Indianapolis as Colts sign QB to one-year deal

The Indianapolis Colts seem destined to draft a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft, but they were still going to need a veteran following the release of Matt Ryan.

They now have that veteran in Gardner Minshew. 

The Colts reportedly signed Minshew to a one-year deal on Thursday that, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, will pay him $3.5 million in guaranteed salary with incentives that could make it worth $5.5 million.

Given the going rate of veteran backup quarterbacks on the open market, there is a lot to like about that deal for the Colts. Keep in mind, former Jets quarterback Mike White signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Miami Dolphins, while it cost the Atlanta Falcons a two-year deal that could be worth up to $20 million for Taylor Heinicke. 

Not only is there an argument to be made that Minshew is better than both of those quarterbacks, but he signed for almost nothing against the cap with almost zero short-term or long-term risk. 

Minshew seems like a perfect stop-gap veteran for a rebuilding team that will have a young quarterback to break in because he has had some individual success throwing the ball. In his four-year career Minshew has completed 62.8 percent of his passes, while throwing for 44 touchdowns to only 15 interceptions.

His career win-loss record leaves a lot to be desired, but the bulk of his starts came on some dreadful Jacksonville Jaguars teams early in his career. 

After going through a revolving door of stopgap quarterbacks in recent years (Jacoby Brissett, Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan) the Colts are finally in a position to find a real long-term solution, with Kentucky's Will Levis or Florida's Anthony Richardson being the favorites to go to them at No. 4 overall. 

But for as talented as they are and as much potential as they might have long-term, they are still very much projects that will need time. Having a solid veteran that can help them be brought along slowly will be a must, and Minshew for that price as good as the Colts could have done this offseason.