What Is Gardner Minshew’s Trade Value After Being Benched?

Despite that blunder, Meyer can’t help but commend Minshew’s warrior mentality.

He praised the third-year quarterback’s ability to make plays even when scrambling around.

Despite that, he will be giving way to Lawrence for first-team snaps.

There’s a chance that other teams will be interested in acquiring Minshew, given his performance and his cap-friendly contract.

But what would be a reasonable value for him if there will be a trade offer?

Minshew’s Career So Far

The Jaguars drafted the former Washington State quarterback in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

He joined a squad that played in the AFC Championship Game two years before and went 5-11 in 2018.

Minshew competed for the starting role with Joshua Dobbs and Nick Foles before eventually getting the job following an injury to Foles.

The Mississippi native won six of the 12 games he started during his rookie season and completed 285 passes for 3,271 passing yards.

He also threw for 21 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

His scrambling ability was on display with 67 rushes for 344 yards.

Minshew’s emergence as a viable starter prompted the Jaguars to trade Foles to the Chicago Bears for a compensatory fourth-round draft pick.

He then rewarded the franchise for the trust they gave him with a win in Week 1 of the 2020 season over the Indianapolis Colts.

In that game, Minshew completed 19 of 20 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns.

However, the high hopes turned into a disaster as the Jaguars did not win another game.

Worse, Minshew suffered a thumb fracture and a ligament strain after their Week 7 game with the Los Angeles Chargers.

That injury cut his season to nine games and threw for only 2,259 yards and 16 touchdowns.

His rushing yards also fell to 153, but he scored one touchdown with his feet.

In the 2021 preseason, Minshew had 17 completions, 196 yards, and a touchdown after two games.

What’s A Fair Deal For Minshew?

Minshew still has two years left on his four-year, $2.71 million rookie contract.

Therefore, he is a wise investment for teams that are looking to address their quarterback situation.

Although talented, Minshew is not an elite play-caller like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, or Tom Brady.

He’s more of a game manager who is more comfortable with the methodical drive than the quick, long throw.

Yet even if he is an intriguing prospect, most NFL teams already have a clear-cut starter.

Franchises will view Minshew as either a fringe starter or a strong backup based on the market’s status.

In that case, it would be unwise to offer a first or a second-round draft pick for him.

That said, Minshew’s fair trade value is a third-round pick, at most.

Trading two picks for him, nothing more, is appropriate for what he’s done and what he can do.