Gardner Minshew is the Kansas City Chiefs’ new backup quarterback.
The former Las Vegas Raider has joined the Chiefs on a one-year contract and has already made a slice of history.
Minshew was released from the Raiders just one year into his two-year $25 million contract, paving the way for the Chiefs to acquire the quarterback.
Beyond the fact the Chiefs have a replacement for their former backup Carson Wentz, Minshew’s arrival is unique in one sense.
The 28-year-old is the first Chiefs backup quarterback to be younger than Patrick Mahomes, who is 29-year-old.
‘Showtime’ was selected 10th overall by the Chiefs in the 2017 NFL draft and spent his rookie season as the backup to Alex Smith — who is eleven years his senior.
In 2018, after the Chiefs traded Smith, Mahomes became the Chiefs’ starter. He has never looked back since then, winning three Super Bowls and three Super Bowl MVPs.
Beside Wentz, the other backup quarterbacks to Mahomes in KC have been Matt Moore, Chad Henne, and Blaine Gabbert, who are all older than the two-time regular season MVP.
The fact this is the first time in Mahomes career is notable because the Chiefs are yet to do what most NFL teams do, which is develop a young quarterback behind a star player.
Whether Minshew will improve Kansas City will be something to watch.
Last season he was in close quarterback competition with Aidan O’Connell during training camp before getting the nod to be the Raiders’ QB1.
However, he would go on to struggle, passing for 2,013 yards, nine touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 10 games.
His season ended when he suffered a broken collarbone against the Denver Broncos in November.
The Raiders went 2-7 last season in the nine games Minshew started.
Across his career, Minshew has 68 touchdown passes and 34 interceptions in 59 games.
Those statistics come across six seasons with the Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Minshew’s best season came in 2023 with Indianapolis when he passed for a career-high 3,305 yards in 17 games.
That year the Colts went 7-6 in the games he started.
However, Minshew is unlikely to get much action in Kansas City.
Last year, Wentz appeared in just three games and made just one start, which was a meaningless Week 18 game at Denver.
At the very least, Minshew will learn from Mahomes under the direction of Andy Reid after what was a difficult year in Las Vegas.
