Pro Cougs: Free Agent QB Gardner Minshew Signs with Kansas City Chiefs

After just one season in Las Vegas, former Washington State star quarterback Gardner Minshew has a new NFL home. After being released by the Raiders on Wednesday, Minshew inked a one-year deal with the defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday afternoon. It will mark the fourth time in his career he has changed teams.

Minshew, who started nine games for the Raiders last season and threw for over 2,000 yards, will now join the Chiefs to serve as a backup to Patrick Mahomes. Kansas City only had two quarterbacks listed on its roster before signing Minshew, those being Mahomes and Chris Oladokun. Carson Wentz, who was on the team last season, was released earlier this week when the NFL free agency window opened.

Minshew will come in with six years of NFL experience under his belt after stints at Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Las Vegas. On his career, he's thrown for an average of 3,433 yards per season and has tossed 68 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 63.3%. He has started 46 games since 2019 and has appeared in 59.

Last season Minshew, who was fighting for playing time alongside fellow Vegas quarterbacks Aidan O'Connell and Desmond Ridder, suffered a broken collarbone in the Raiders' Week 12 loss to Denver. He did not play for the remainder of the 2024 campaign following his injury. The Chiefs opting to make a move for Minshew in the opening days of free agency, though, is a positive sign of his recovery.

Minshew will now join a pair of other former ex-Cougars in Kansas City with the likes of defensive back Jaden Hicks and corner Jaylen Watson. Minshew will embrace the backup role he's known well in recent years as he looks to compliment the arguably the highest-profile signal caller he's been under during his NFL career.

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