Entering the 2019 NFL Draft, Gardner Minshew had dreams of playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Washington State quarterback visited with the Chiefs during the pre-draft process, but Kansas City wasn’t exactly in the market for a quarterback. At the time, the Chiefs were coming off of an incredibly successful debut season by second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and they had a solid backup in veteran quarterback Matt Moore.
Minshew slipped down the board before he was ultimately selected in the sixth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coincidentally, his first career game happened to be against the Chiefs. Despite an impressive debut performance from the rookie, Jacksonville ultimately suffered a 40-26 loss.
While Kansas City went on to win the Super Bowl that season, Minshew and Co. tumbled to a fourth place finish in the AFC South. That’s nearly how each year has gone for the journeyman quarterback, who watched the Chiefs compile championships while bouncing around four different teams over the span of his six-year career.
Gardner Minshew's pre-draft visit played a role in joining Chiefs
For Kansas City, the pre-draft visit finally paid off in 2025 — although they weren’t able to draft Minshew, his positive experience with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid helped make his decision in free agency much easier. The 28-year-old veteran had an opportunity to sign a one-year deal with the Chiefs this offseason and he seized it.
"I knew in my head that this was where I wanted to be," Minshew said, via ESPN. "I took a predraft visit with the Chiefs back in the day coming into the league and I feel like everything went really well. Just talking to Coach Reid then and understanding what they're all about, I always knew that that'd be a really good fit. To get on the phone with Coach Reid and get to hear what they're talking about and also to hear how he sees me fitting and how he values my personality and what I bring to the table, that just fires me up so much to be somewhere that you feel appreciated and valued and obviously by somebody you respect so much and has had so much success to doing it."
Minshew has spent most of his career as a starter, but he’ll be expected to serve as Mahomes’ newest backup quarterback, a title that was previously held by Matt Moore, Chad Henne, Blaine Gabbert and Carson Wentz. Although he likely could have found a better opportunity to compete for playing time, Minshew wanted to be a part of a winning culture.
"Super fired up to be part of just a winning organization, a winning culture," Minshew said. "I feel like I have so much to learn from how Coach Reid and everybody operates, how Pat operates, and I'm just looking forward to helping in any way I can. If there's any way I can help this team, whether it's on the scout team, whether it's helping Pat in meetings, whether it's just bringing good energy to practice, I look forward to just doing whatever I can to contribute and help this team win.”
Minshew had a difficult 2024 season with the Las Vegas Raiders. He beat out second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell for the starting job in training camp, but struggled in the regular season. Minshew started nine games and led the team to a 2-7 record while throwing for 2,013 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. A broken collarbone ended his season in November, and he was released after the team acquired quarterback Geno Smith from the Seattle Seahawks.
"Being a starting quarterback in the NFL is a hard deal and especially with all the expectation with everything that gets put on, especially with a guy like [Mahomes], sometimes it's having a safe place in the quarterback room where you can come and let off some steam or just have a good laugh,” Minshew said. “That little stuff is very important. I look forward to just being able to work with him, help in any way I can, whether it's on the practice field, in the meeting room, getting ready for game days, if there's film preparation I can help with or even, like I said, providing a good laugh here or there.”
Kansas City provides Minshew with an opportunity to learn and develop in a stable environment. While Reid tends to get the best out of his quarterbacks, Minshew is unlikely to see the field in 2025.
Mahomes has played nearly every game since becoming the starter in 2018, but he hasn’t been invincible. He missed two games after dislocating his knee on a fourth-down conversion in 2019. He hasn’t missed any games since then, but there have been some scares. Mahomes suffered a concussion and a toe injury during the 2021 season, as well as a bruised foot during the 2022 season. His most concerning injuries have been the high ankle sprains he suffered over the past two postseasons. Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain during the playoff run in the 2023 season, and then suffered another ankle sprain during the 2024 regular season.
Kansas City will hope they don’t need Minshew on game days, but they’ll have him ready just in case.