The only thing worse for the Kansas City Chiefs other than not making the playoffs is not knowing if their star quarterback will be back for the start of next season. Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in Sunday’s game, pouring salt on the wound that is the 2025 season for the Chiefs. Kansas City needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and instead won’t play in the postseason for the first time in 11 years and lost their quarterback too.
So Gardner Minshew is in line to take over. Who is Gardner Minshew? Well he’s been around the NFL for a while, starting his career in Jacksonville before hopping around several teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and the Las Vegas Raiders. Here’s everything you need to know about Minshew as he’ll finish out the season for Kansas City.
Remembering Gardner Minshew's college career at Washington State
Minshew rose to prominence at Washington State back in 2018 under the late Mike Leach. In the Air Raid offense, Minshew dominated, throwing for 4,779 yards, 38 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. Believe it or not, that season, Minshew had Washington State within reach of the College Football Playoff, which was four teams at that time instead of 12.
The Cougars were ranked as high as No. 8 in the country before a loss to Washington left them to play in the Alamo Bowl. Minshew went on to get drafted in the sixth round in the 2019 NFL Draft after one season at Washington State. Before that, he played two seasons at East Carolina.
Chiefs depth chart without Patrick Mahomes: Can Minshew deliver?
PLAYER | STATUS |
|---|---|
Gardner Minshew | ACTIVE |
Chris Oladokun | PRACTICE SQUAD |
The good thing with Mahomes’ injury and the end of the Chiefs’ playoffs run is that Minshew really doesn’t have any pressure to be the superhero. The last three games of the season are nothing more than a chance for Minshew to woo quarterback-needy teams into signing him this offseason.
Minshew is the only listed quarterback on the active roster as of now and the Chiefs haven’t signed anyone new yet. Chris Oladokun is on the Chiefs’ practice squad and you have to think he’ll be activated to the roster at some point this week.
I’m sure the Chiefs would rather not turn to a practice squad quarterback so all the pressure will be on Minshew to simply stay healthy. He’s been around the NFL for long enough, so he should be good enough to keep this team afloat for three games. He’s 17-29 as a starter. After his rookie season in Jacksonville, he was relegated to backup quarterback, save for the 2023 season in Indianapolis.
Chiefs are the opportunity Gardner Minshew has been waiting for
Minshew won’t have too many more chances to prove he deserves to be a starter in the NFL. Though it’s just three games, it will be a golden opportunity for him to show the rest of the NFL that he’s still good enough to be a starter. In the beginning of his career, he was a respectable starter.
He wasn’t the best option, but he was particularly good at protecting the ball and not turning it over. Before the 2023 season, he only had one year with more than five interceptions and that was his rookie season. Since then, he had nine interceptions in 2023 with the Colts and then 10 interceptions a year ago in Las Vegas.
Minshew probably won’t be able to convince too many teams he’s worth it with just three games left this year. Then again, it only takes one game to force a team to take an unnecessary gamble this spring.