Early Quarterback Carousel Odds Include Interesting Scenarios for Jaguars

Could the Jaguars have a place at the table during the upcoming shifting of quarterbacks through the NFL? Some oddsmakers think so.

The 2020 NFL offseason is sure to be a busy one, with quarterbacks such as Phillip Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater, Andy Dalton, and many more, including potentially even Tom Brady, set to be on the move. 

The reshuffling of quarterbacks throughout the league will create a ripple effect throughout the rest of the league, impacting all 32 teams one way or another. The Jacksonville Jaguars could play a sizeable role in the upcoming swaps of quarterbacks considering their quarterback situation moving into 2020. 

Jacksonville currently boasts veteran quarterback and former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles and 2019 sixth-round draft pick as its quarterbacks, with the two slated to engage in a competition for the starting role in 2020. 

Foles was signed to a four-year, $88 million contract only last March, but his place in Jacksonville's future is undetermined after a 2019 season in which he played in only four games. He sustained a clavicle injury in the first quarter of Week 1 and went on to miss the next eight games, opening the door for Minshew to start. 

Foles returned from his injury in Week 11 and was given the starting job over Minshew with the hopes of him leading the 4-5 Jaguars to the postseason. The Jaguars would instead endure a losing streak in which they failed to be competitive, and Foles was benched for Minshew at halftime of Week 13 following a three-turnover first half performance vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I think both of those guys are in a situation where they both have proven in their own way that they can be a good quarterback in the NFL," Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said last Tuesday at the NFL Scouting Combine. "Nick has a much larger body of work than Gardner does. For what Gardner did last year as a rookie, I think was very impressive. He won six games and was .500 in the games he started – 20-plus touchdowns, low interception rate. It felt like he had probably the best stats of any rookie quarterback last year. 

"It is something we have to take note to, but like Shad [Khan] said a couple weeks ago, we have two quarterbacks that we feel really good about. We’ll see what Coach [Jay] Gruden devises with our offense, Coach [Ben] McAdoo and kind of go from there.”

With the fate Jaguars' quarterback position up in the air, it isn't outlandish to hypothesize that the Jaguars could be involved in the upcoming quarterback carousel. Some oddsmakers have already tried to find spots for Foles, as well as attempted to determine the Jaguars starter in Week 1.

According to odds from Betonline, one possible but unlikely scenario that could make sense is for the Jaguars to send Foles to New England in the event that Brady signs elsewhere in free agency. Betonline gives Foles 14/1 odds to start for New England in Week 1 in the event Brady isn't the starter, tying Foles for the eighth-highest odds. 

Foles is tied with Philip Rivers in terms of odds to land in New England. The quarterbacks in front of Foles are Teddy Bridgewater (3/1), Ryan Tannehill (7/2), Marcus Mariota (5/1), Andy Dalton (6/1), Jarrett Stidham (7/1), Derek Carr (8/1), and Jimmy Garoppolo (10/1).

Foles, of course, famously bested the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick in Super Bowl LII. Foles likely left an impression on Belichick following his elite performance on the grandest stage in football, a game in which he was 28/43 passing for 373 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and one touchdown reception.

Another scenario in which the Jaguars were given odds was surprisingly in the landing spot for Rivers, who is a free agent for the first time in his career after spending 16 years with the Chargers. Betonline gave the Jaguars 16/1 odds for Rivers to be on their roster in Week 1, tied with the Carolina Panthers for the eighth-highest odds. 

Considering the fact that the Jaguars already like the two quarterbacks on their roster, it would be a shock to see them sign Rivers. The Jaguars will either enter the 2020 season with Foles or Minshew as the starter, that much is nearly already a fact. For the Jaguars to sign Rivers, they would have to deal Foles and his large contract to another team, while also relegating Minshew to a backup role.

Finally, Betonline released odds on who will be the Jaguars' Week 1 starter in 2020. Minshew was given 1/2 odds, while "anyone else" was given 3/2 odds. It is clear that oddsmakers think Minshew will open the season as Jacksonville's starter, an assumption that can be strengthened by head coach Doug Marrone's decision to bench Foles for Minshew in 2019.

While the Jaguars have yet to publically back either Minshew or Foles as the Week 1 starter, Minshew winning the job is the most likely scenario due to the promise he showed in 2019 and a skillset that meshes well with new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden.