Gardner Minshew

Minshew was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the sixth round, 178th overall, of the 2019 NFL Draft.[13]

On September 8, 2019, Minshew made his NFL debut against the Kansas City Chiefs when starter Nick Foles was taken out of the game due to a shoulder injury.[14] He completed 22-of-25 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the 40–26 loss. Minshew's pass completion percentage of 88% is the highest of any player making his debut in NFL history (minimum 15 pass attempts, since at least 1950), and also the highest single-game pass completion percentage in Jaguars history.[15] Minshew was named the starter going forward after it was revealed that Foles had suffered a broken clavicle.[16] During Week 2 against the Houston Texans, Minshew finished with 213 passing yards and a touchdown along with 56 rushing yards as the Jaguars lost 13–12.[17] In Week 3, against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football, he earned his first victory as a professional. He passed for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the 20–7 victory.[18] In Week 4, against the Denver Broncos, he passed for 213 yards and two touchdowns in the 26–24 victory. Late in the game, he engineered a drive that helped set up the Jaguars' game-winning field goal by Josh Lambo.[19] During Week 5 against the Carolina Panthers, Minshew finished with 374 passing yards and two touchdowns as the Jaguars lost 27–34.[20] After a Week 6 loss to the New Orleans Saints and a Week 7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 279 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in a 29–15 victory over the New York Jets.[21] During Week 9 against the Texans at Wembley Stadium, Minshew finished with 309 passing yards and 2 interceptions as the Jaguars lost 3–26. Days later, it was announced that Minshew would resume the backup role after Foles returned from his collar bone injury.[22] In Week 13 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Minshew was reinserted into the starting lineup in the second half after Foles was benched due to a poor performance. In the game, Minshew threw for 147 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the 28–11 loss.[23] After the game, Jaguars' head coach Doug Marrone stated that Minshew would be the starting quarterback for the next game as well.[24] In Week 15 against the Oakland Raiders, Minshew threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver Chris Conley, both of which occurred with five or less minutes in the game, as the Jaguars recovered from a 16–3 deficit to win the game 20–16.[25] In Week 17 against the Indianapolis Colts, Minshew threw for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception during the 38–20 win.[26] Overall, he appeared in 14 games and recorded 3,271 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions to go along with 67 carries for 344 rushing yards in his rookie season.[27]

During the 2020 off-season, Foles was traded to the Chicago Bears making Minshew the uncontested starter for the 2020 NFL season.[28] Minshew was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Jaguars on August 2, 2020,[29] and activated from the list two days later.[30]

Minshew started off the season strong going 19-of-20 for 173 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in the 27–20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.[31] He became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least three touchdowns and complete at least 95% of his passes in a Week 1 game.[32] During Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, Minshew finished with 339 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions as the Jaguars lost 30–33.[33] In Week 4, Minshew passed for 351 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 33–25 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.[34] After a Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Minshew revealed he had suffered through a thumb fracture and a ligament strain.[35] During the process of recovery, Minshew was replaced with Jake Luton and Mike Glennon. Minshew returned in Week 14, once Glennon was benched against the Tennessee Titans in a 31–10 loss;[36] during the game, Minshew threw for 178 yards and a touchdown.[37] Minshew was named the starting quarterback for the Jaguars' Week 15 game. In Week 15 against the Baltimore Ravens, Minshew threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns during the 40–14 loss. [38] After the game, it was announced that Glennon would be the team's starting quarterback for the Jaguars' Week 16 game against the Chicago Bears.[39]

[40][41]

• Most consecutive games with at least three passing touchdowns: 3[42]

• Completions: 285
• Completion percentage (minimum 2 starts): 60.6%
• Passing yards: 3,271
• Passing touchdowns: 21
• Fewest interceptions (minimum 3 starts): 6
• Touchdown percentage: 4.5%
• Interception percentage (minimum 2 starts): 1.3%
• Passer rating: 91.2
• Yards per game: 233.6
• Wins: 6
• Fourth quarter comebacks: 3
• Game-winning drives: 3