The Jacksonville Jaguars are widely expected to lag behind the competition next season, but that is all that Gardner Minshew needs to fuel his fire.
Speaking with reporters during a conference call on Thursday, the Jaguars quarterback responded to the low expectations that have already been cast upon his team for the 2020 season.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it should put a chip on everybody’s shoulder on our team, being counted out like that,” he said, per Kevin Patra of NFL.com. “I think we do have a lot to prove, prove that we’re not what anybody says about us. The only people [whose] opinions matter are who’s in that huddle, who’s on that team, and I think we’re going to set those expectations for ourselves and not worry about what anybody else has to say about us.”
After going 6-10 in 2019, the Jaguars are projected to struggle again next season after a lukewarm offseason that saw few impact free agent signings as well as the losses of Calais Campbell and AJ Bouye via trade. Disgruntled defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is also expected to be the next to go.
That said, Minshew has a magnificent opportunity in front of him in 2020 after Jacksonville also traded Nick Foles and failed to select a quarterback with a high pick in this year’s draft. Thus, we could see some fireworks from a motivated and unleashed Minshew come next season.
