Gardner Minshew

Career StatsD-

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	INT	RTG
Career		63	11,987	68	35	88.0
2025		4	37	0	1	21.0
2024		10	2,013	9	10	81.0

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Arizona struck a fair deal with Gardner Minshew's one-year, $5.8M contract, earning a solid C CVI that reflects competent backup quarterback economics. While Minshew profiles as a depth piece rather than a franchise solution, his $5.8M AAV sits appropriately in the backup tier—especially for a player who's proven capable of stepping in and managing games when called upon. At 28, he's entering his prime years with enough starting experience (37 games) to provide legitimate insurance behind Kyler Murray without breaking the bank. The contract structure heavily favors Arizona with $5.1M guaranteed on just a one-year commitment, giving them flexibility to reassess their quarterback room next offseason while minimizing long-term risk. This signing represents smart roster building—paying market rate for a reliable backup who can keep the season afloat if Murray faces injury issues, without overcommitting resources to a non-starter position.

Performance Analysis

Gardner Minshew enters his seventh NFL season as a proven backup-turned-spot-starter, a sixth-round relic who has defied draft pedigree but now faces serious questions about his viability. His current-season performance earns a D- grade, a steep decline from a career that includes a respectable 88.0 passer rating and 63.1 completion percentage across 63 games. The trend line is troubling — sliding from a D in 2023 to a D+ in 2024 before bottoming out at an F in 2025. This season's numbers are genuinely alarming at every level. His 46.2 completion rate sits nearly 18 points below the NFL average of 64.2, and his 2.85 yards per attempt is less than half the league average of 6.90. A 21.0 passer rating — compared to a league average of 77.2 — signals a quarterback who is actively hurting Arizona's offense rather than managing it. His passing yards per game average of 9.25 reflects either extreme snap-count limitations or historic inefficiency, likely both. To his credit, Minshew's career body of work shows a more capable player — his 88.0 career passer rating suggests he has functioned as a competent bridge starter in the past. The current snapshot, however, paints a picture of a player whose window may be closing fast. Going forward, Minshew's future in Arizona likely hinges on whether this season represents injury-limited sample size or genuine decline. At 29, he lacks the upside to compete for a starting role unless a clear offensive system change occurs. He profiles best as a career backup — a locker room veteran with a known floor but a shrinking ceiling.

Current Sentiment

Gardner Minshew enters the 2026 season in a clearly defined backup role with the Arizona Cardinals, having signed a one-year deal to serve behind starter Jacoby Brissett. The news cycle surrounding his signing is largely transactional and confirmatory in tone, with no indication that he is in serious competition for the starting job at this stage. Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur's comments that both quarterbacks are 'good fits in the system' reflect diplomatic roster management language rather than genuine open competition. Minshew's career passer rating and seven years of experience lend him credibility as a capable emergency option, but his market value and contract size firmly place him in the backup tier of the league's quarterback hierarchy. Media and fan perception heading into 2026 is largely indifferent — he is viewed as a reliable, veteran safety net rather than a player with meaningful upside or starting aspirations on this roster.