The living legend of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew continues to grow and it’s not about to get quieter anytime soon. With the Jaguars organization now offering a Minshew Mini Pack, the only way this legend dies is if Minshew falters on the field.
This package includes tickets to the team’s next two home games against the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, respectively. It includes a bandana, mustache, and the and the opportunity to get a photo taken on the field wearing the gear. Ticket prices range from $41 to $600.
With all this hype around Minshew, you have to wonder if he notices it and if it is a distraction. But the rookie sensation, as he does with everything else, seems to be taking it in stride.
“You can’t help but notice it,” he said. “But you just try to – it’s outside. It’s not in this building and it doesn’t have anything to do with what we do out there. So, just try to keep it there and not worry about it when it’s football time.”
Over the past several weeks, Minshew has done just that – focus on football. According to PFN’s Offensive Share Metric, he has an overall OSM grade of 25.64, which ranks him 13th out of 40 qualifying quarterbacks for the season. This grade signifies how much a skill player is responsible for the success of the offense.
With a grade like this, it’s fair to say that Minshew has sparked this offense compared to him just being asked to be a game manager and let the defense and run game determine the outcome of the game.
But if you followed him in college, you wouldn’t be surprised. At Washington State, Minshew quickly created a buzz in the college football world with his gaudy passing numbers. Then with some major wins over Utah, Oregon, and Stanford, the NFL started paying attention. Minshew went 11-2 as the starter for the Cougars and threw for 4,779 yards with 42 total touchdowns and a fifth-place Heisman finish. In a quarterback class that lacked depth, Minshew’s name started to gain steam, and the Jaguars took notice.
The rest, as they say, is history. And while it’s still too early to crown Minshew as the next best thing, the early results are promising for both himself and the Jaguars. In fact, Minshew has nearly returned the Jaguars’ odds to win the AFC South back to where they were at the start of the season.
It’s surreal when you think about it. A third-day quarterback isn’t supposed to have this kind of success in his rookie season. But so far, Minshew has defied all odds. Perhaps it’s because he has taken it one step at a time, dating back to before he was even drafted.
“I was out in the backyard hanging out with my guys, playing cornhole. I wasn’t watching the draft. I gave my sister my phone and I was like, ‘Hey, if somebody calls, just hand it to me.’ So, I wasn’t going to sweat it. I knew I was going to get a shot and that’s all that mattered.”
It’s safe to say that Minshew has gotten his shot.