It was a roller-coaster season for the Jacksonville Jaguars and that was especially the case for rookie Gardner Minshew II. Neither fans or the sixth-round pick expected him to see the starting lineup as soon as he did, but then came a Week 1 collarbone injury to Nick Foles which forever changed the rookie’s life.
Long story short, Minshew wrapped his rookie campaign up with a 6-6 record, statistically finishing it 285-of-470 (60.6%) for 3,271 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, and six picks. Now, just nine days removed from his rookie season, the young quarterback has decided he’ll spend his time away from the gridiron traveling.
In a video posted on his Instagram account, Minshew announced that he’ll be making a cross-country tour soon in his brand new RV. He also asked fans for suggestions in terms of places to go and food to eat around the nation, however, he didn’t mention the exact date in which the tour would begin.
Minshew’s Instagram account will undoubtedly be getting a lot of views when he decides to document the whole process as he developed a big following while at Washington State and added more followers throughout his time as a starter in the league. The rookie had merchandise flying off the shelves whether it was bandanas, “Minshew Mania” t-shirts, or aviator shades. He also had a very popular segment on ESPN’s “NFL Sunday Countdown” show with Jon Gries (better known as Uncle Rico) of the cult classic movie “Napoleon Dynamite.”
On the field, Minshew made a strong case to start in 2020, earning Pepsi’s Rookie of the Week award seven times, being named the league’s Rookie of the Month for September, and making Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie team. After his trip, he plans to get right back to work and train in Naples with Ken Mastrole, who trained him for the NFL Combine last season.