Is Gardner Minshew Mike LaF'leur's QB1?
By Walter MitchellMike LaFleur's early signing of QB Garnder Minshew came as a surprise, didn't it?
Per reports, LaFleur's first choice was Jimmy Garoppolo, but when the negotiations hit a snag, LaFleur quickly pivoted his attention to Gardner Minshew whom he signed to a 1 year $5.75M contract with incentives that could make him as much as $8.25M. $5.14M of Minshew's is fully guaranteed.
The surprise was:
1. How Minshew's $5.14M guaranteed money eclipsed Jacoby Brissett's $1.5M.
2. Minshew was coming off an injury-riddled one-year stint as Patrick Mahomes' backup in KC. After Mahomes suffered an ACL injury, Minshew, in what turned out to be his only start, suffered a knee injury of his own, which at first was feared to be an ACL, but thankfully turned out to be a deep bone bruise instead.
3. After Mike LaFleur had told the Arizona media that his top priorities for a QB in his system are: (1) supreme toughness; (2) an ability to command the back of the pocket; and (3) knack for distributing a variety of smooth, dart-like throws downfield while absorbing hits when necessary to do so --- one has to wonder how well Gardner Minshew, who is more of a finesse-type gunslinger, fits LaFleur's QB criteria.
4. 2025 stats:
* Brissett: 315/485, 64.9%, 3,366 yards, 23 TDs, 8 ints, 94.1 RTG
* Minshew: 6/13, 46.2%, 37 yards, 0 TDs, 1 int, 21.0 RTG
5. Gardner Minshew is 6-1, 225, while Jacoby Brissett is 6-4, 235.
Yet, who is the QB Mike LaFleur is paying and leading the offense while Jacoby Brissett is holding out for understandably wanting more than $1.5M guaranteed?
When you ask Google about Mike LaFleur's affinity for Gardner Minshew:
Why Mike laFleur loves Gardner Minshew - Google Search
Mike LaFleur loves Gardner Minshew due to his intense passion for football, high-level preparation, and mobility that fits the West Coast system. LaFleur, the Cardinals head coach in 2026, values Minshew’s work ethic, citing a four-hour FaceTime from the 2019 Senior Bowl where Minshew proactively studied the playbook. [1, 2, 3, 4] Key reasons for LaFleur’s appreciation include:
- Passion for the Game: LaFleur described Minshew as a "maniac" who loves football, noting his immediate desire to study the playbook upon signing.
- Proactive Preparation: Before working together at the 2019 Senior Bowl, Minshew spent hours on FaceTime with LaFleur to learn the offense in advance, which impressed the coach.
- System Fit & Mobility: Although not as large as other quarterbacks, Minshew is valued for his ability to move in and out of the pocket and his experience across multiple teams.
- Proven Experience: LaFleur trusts Minshew’s experience, recalling when Minshew’s offense "whooped" his team, showing he can execute efficiently. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
LaFleur believes Minshew is "about the right stuff," possessing the maturity and mental approach necessary to excel, as reported on Instagram and Instagram. [1, 2, 3] Why is Jacoby Brissett mentioned after Gardner Minshew by Kendrick Bourne and Mike LaFleur?
Bourne:
LaFleur:
One could say, "Well, Jacoby is holding out, so they can't mention him first."
Maybe. But I don't think so. I believe that if Jacoby was going to be QB1 his contract situation would have been worked out by now.
Enter Aaron Rodgers rumors, intensified by Kenrick Bourne's tweet to the QB:
Rodgers so much better than Jacoby? Per Benjamin Garcia.
2025 Stats:
Rodgers in 16 starts: 65.7, 3,322 yds, 24 td, 7 int, 94.3
Brissett in 12 starts: 64.9, 3,366 yds, 23 td, 8 int, 94.1
Brissett has built chemistry with Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, MHJ through thousands of reps. They want him back.
Enter Carson Beck:
Kirk Herbstreit on Beck during a College Game Day:
Paris Johnson's take on Beck's assimilation into the NFL:
"I think his transition to the NFL is going to be a lot easier than most."
Note: my friend Steve, who was a professional basketball player and is one of my go-to analysts of all things sports related said yesterday that he believes Carson Beck is likely to be a better pro QB because his receivers will run more accurate and dependable routes and because "he does not flinch from the back of the pocket." Steve sees what Herbie sees.
Commentary:
When Kendrick Bourne gave his presser about "I don't care if you don't have a QB or an OL, I am here because of Mike..." that was such a diss on his new teammates. Saguaro Sam was not a big fan of this signing and now, I am beginning to concur with his take.
First of all, it's going to be hard enough to get Marvin Harrison Jr. his fair share of targets given that he is currently the 4th option behind Jeremiyah Love, Trey McBride and Michael Wilson. Kendrick Bourne is going to have to accept a supporting role in the Cardinals' star-studded offense.
For him to be reaching out on X to Aaron Rodgers is bogus and it is such a diss on Jacoby Brissett.
When I saw:
Come on we waiting on you 
I tweeted to Bourne:
K-Bourne, does this mean you know that Jacoby isn't coming back?
There was no reply.
It looks like Bourne in the interim has taken down his tweet. He tweeted that "I wrote this at 3 AM, lol."
What bothers me to no end is how Kendrick Bourne has the temerity to write "We" as if he's now the spokesperson for the Cardinals' locker room.
He hasn't yet played a snap in a Cardinals' uniform.
He has earned nothing here this early into his contract.
Yesterday, when josh Weinfuss reached out to a Cardinals' source to ask if the Cardinals' rumored interest in Aaron Rodgers is real,
I asked a source today if all the noise about Aaron Rodgers going to the Cardinals was real?
“Not at all” was the response.
So, there’s that.
No so fast, Josh.
Don't we just know that Michael Bidwill is champing at the bit to sign Aaron Rodgers?
Just as Bidwill ignored the sentiments of his locker room with regard to giving Kyler Murray his $230.5M "Easy Money" bag, Bidwill once again is ignoring the sentiments of his own locker room about them wanting Jacoby Brissett as their starting QB this year.
Why?
Michael Bidwill's top priority is not giving his own players what they want ---> his top priority is giving the fans what they want.
The fans don't want Jacoby.
It is that simple.
Mike LaFleur was given the autonomy to sign and draft Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck. And he would have had a chance to move back up into the first round to draft Ty Simpson, which is precisely what the Cardinals' pundits and fans wanted.
No one hears the pundits' and fans' pleas louder than Bidwill.
Now the fans want Aaron Rodgers.
First Malik Willis, then Ty Simpson and now Aaron Rodgers.
When all along, no QB has deserved the chance to start for the Cardinals this year more than Jacoby Brissett. Or --- at the very least ---> he deserves the chance to compete for the starting job.
It's looking more and more like neither of the chances are going to be afforded to Jacoby Brissett. So all those valuable reps and preparations that Jacoby dedicated to "the boys" and all of the trust that they have built as teammates are going to go to complete and utter waste.
At the moment Gardner Minshew is QB1 and like Kendrick Bourne tweeted to Aaron Rodgers, "Come on we waiting on you."
But if Weinfuss' source is correct that the Cardinals' interest in Aaron Rodgers is "not at all"...
Then, Mike LaFleur's plan for Minshew as QB1 looks as strategically obvious as placing his locker next to Paris Johnson Jr.'s.
Let's look at this from purely Rodgers' perspective-
ReplyDeleteThe man is on the doorstep of Canton — why would he trash his legacy getting sacked every other play behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league? At 42 with a surgically repaired Achilles, he can't escape pressure anymore. Pittsburgh at least gave him protection. Arizona can't offer anything close to that.
And let's talk about the defense. Rodgers just came off a season where Pittsburgh's elite D was keeping him in games. Now he's supposed to go play behind a team that just went 3-14? No pass rush, no secondary worth mentioning — he'd be out there on an island every single week.
He doesn't need the money. The man is worth hundreds of millions. He's not chasing a paycheck, he's chasing a dignified exit or maybe one more ring. The Cardinals are in full rebuild mode — NO WAY they're paying Rodgers-level money, and even if they tried, what's the point? There's zero realistic path to a Super Bowl in Arizona in 2026.
They literally just burned a third-round pick on Carson Beck. This is a rebuild. Rodgers knows it, LaFleur knows it, and honestly the front office knows it too. The only thing connecting Rodgers to Arizona is the Hackett relationship, and that's not enough to make a guy risk his Hall of Fame legacy for a 3-win season.
Pittsburgh is still the move if he plays at all. Arizona makes no sense for anyone involved.
I knew I was gonna miss G Dortch-Bourne makes me miss him more. Clearly, Bourne is not too bright. He disses the guy most likely to throw him the ball. Wait til he gets pouty loud like he did in NE. Prima Dona WR mouth without the prima Dona talent.
Cardinals plan for QB (a lesson in futility) --->
ReplyDelete(1) Tank a season to gain higher draft selection
(2) Get over-hyped college QB who has little chance for success at NFL Level (e.g. Leinert, Rosen Murray)
(3) Hire Offense and QB coaches with little or no experience
(4) Bring in an aging vet on a 'cheap' Bidwill friendly deal (Most successful method over years: Warner, Palmer)
Yep. Cardinals have the patent on that formula.
DeleteRodgers probably will retire, why would he want to face SF D, Seattle D and Rams D twice a year plus play Detroit, Eagles and the Chiefs this year..new players to learn he would had already had them in Ca running routes by now. Bidwill is a clown, he doesn’t deserve a full stadium with az fans
ReplyDeleteCowherd just interviewed our HC of the 32nd ranked NFL team. Most questions were about McVay and Shanahan but Lafluer completely dismissed the Rodgers BS. He did a nice job with coach speak given the time of year and the morons he works for.
ReplyDeleteHe gets a bonus just for not bumbling and fumbling a press conference. :)
DeleteBack before free agency started there were rumors that the Cardinals were shopping Brissett. That plus the active free agent pursuit of QBs should have been a clear sign that the team wasn't committed to him and honestly was the team ever committed to him? They spent a month after the Titans game doing everything they could to pretend that Kyler was coming back ASAP.
ReplyDelete