Broncos Fans Can't Rule Out Free-Agent QB Gardner Minshew
Sean Payton heads into the NFL draft evaluation portion of the NFL calendar looking to cover all the corners on the Denver Broncos roulette table. For obvious reasons, the latest Broncos buzz has Payton seemingly fixating on college quarterbacks, and last week's Senior Bowl only exacerbated that.
While all options remain in play, the Broncos could opt to bring in an affordable free agent to help win in the short term. It could be argued that Jarrett Stidham provides an in-house kind of bridge option already, which would come in handy if the Broncos were to draft the likes of 21-year-old Michigan signal-caller J.J. McCarthy and give him a redshirt year to mature.
Meanwhile, at the Pro Bowl festivities, Indianapolis Colts free-agent quarterback Gardner Minshew opened up about his future, and it might make Payton and company pause for some further reflection.
"Ain't no tellin' man, ain't no tellin'," Minshew said of his future via NFL.com. "That's something they gotta tell me, that free agency stuff."
Minshew would offer an immediate upgrade on Stidham in terms of NFL starting experience, and his gutsy leadership style holds massive appeal to a large number of coaches. Perceived as a mercenary of sorts, Minshew always picks up a playbook quickly and gives maximum effort no matter what situation he's plunged into.
It's hard to believe that the retro-looking Minshew is still only 27 years old. Of course, several uniform changes and the biker guy-style mustache he's often sported make the former Jacksonville Jaguars draft pick look much like the nomad he openly confesses to being.
Nevertheless, settling down and parking that big old Harley Davidson in the garage somewhere appears to be something the Mississippi-born QB is considering.
"I'm a ramblin' man, a little bit in my soul, but, man, love to settle down and find somewhere to call home, but until we get there, we're gonna keep on rollin'," Minshew said on Friday at the Pro Bowl.
Indeed, Minshew's desire to put down some roots might ultimately lead to him thrashing out a deal to return to the Colts. It's a place where he successfully reunited with coach Shane Steichen, and the duo subsequently carved out a winning 9-8 record after the Colts lost rookie starting quarterback Anthony Richardson to injury.
"Anything can happen, man," Minshew admitted to NFL.com. "Just super grateful, man. Had a lot of good people around me this year. Loved it, man. Just super proud of the season we had, the work we put in and, man, just loved the guys we had and wish it would've never ended."
Familiarity is one thing, but with Richardson set to return from his season-ending injury, the prodigious top-5 draft pick will undoubtedly be handed back the keys to the Colts franchise. Something about the feisty and eternally positive Minshew suggests that he's not ready to settle into a backup role simply because he wants to keep the same postal address.
It opens up further options for the Broncos' top brass to weigh over the coming weeks.
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