Jaguars are wrecking Gardner Minshew’s trade value
The Jaguars should be building up Gardner Minshew’s trade value. Instead, they’ve destroyed it by threatening to bench him.
There’s always been an expiration date on Minshew Mania. Unfortunately, the Jaguars have miscalculated the appropriate time to pull the plug on Gardner Minshew as their starting quarterback. Threatening to bench him if he struggles against the Chargers on Sunday only serves to depress Minshew’s potential trade value.
According to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, the Jaguars will make a change at the quarterback position if Minshew continues to struggle against Los Angeles. One problem with that line of thinking is that the Jaguars don’t have an appealing option on the bench behind Minshew.
Mike Glennon is a journeyman who has already proven he lacks what it takes to be an NFL starter. Rookie Jake Luton might have some intriguing skills, but he also seems destined to be a backup for the majority of his career.
The bigger issue for the Jaguars franchise is that threatening to bench Minshew is going to torpedo his future trade value. Jacksonville’s 1-5 start to the current campaign has the team perfectly positioned to secure a high draft pick in next year’s NFL Draft. They may not finish with the No. 1 overall pick required to secure Trevor Lawrence, but someone like Justin Fields could also provide the Jaguars with a superior option at quarterback over Minshew.
The logical corresponding move for Jacksonville to make would be to offload Minshew to the highest bidder in the offseason.
The Jaguars should be doing everything within their power to maximize the quarterback’s value this season. It’s unlikely another team will trade for him to be their starter in 2021, but another team valuing him as a high-end backup might be willing to send valuable draft capital to Jacksonville to consummate a deal.
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If the Jaguars do end up benching Minshew it will send the player’s trade value into the toilet.
Instead of getting a mid-round pick for his services, Jacksonville will be fortunate to get a sixth or seventh-round selection to take Minshew off their hands. The mere threat of pulling the plug on Minshew Mania is going to cost Jacksonville when they look to offload the quarterback this offseason.
This is another front office misstep for a franchise that is already short on roster talent.