Chiefs tap Gardner Minshew as Patrick Mahomes’ new backup for 2025 season: reports

Patrick Mahomes enters the 2025 season with another new backup quarterback. 

Gardner Minshew, who started nine games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN. 

Minshew signed a two-year, $25 million contract last offseason to battle for the starting role with the Raiders. 

He started the first five games of the season, but after going 2-3, head coach Antonio Pierce went with his backup, Aidan O’Connell, for Week 6 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Minshew was back starting by Week 8 as the Raiders struggled to put together wins. Then, in Week 12, Minshew broke a collarbone that knocked him out for the rest of the season, leaving the quarterback duties in O’Connell’s hands. 

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Minshew finished the year 2-8 in the 10 games he played, passing for 2,013 yards with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. 

However, Minshew has had better seasons in the past, including a Pro Bowl year with the Indianapolis Colts in 2023. He went 7-6 in his 13 starts in place of rookie Anthony Richardson, throwing for a career-high 3,305 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. 

For his six-year career, which began as a Jacksonville Jaguars sixth-round pick in 2019, Minshew is 17-29 over his 46 starts with 11,950 passing yards, 68 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. 

Last season, Carson Wentz, the former Philadelphia Eagles franchise quarterback, backed up Mahomes in Kansas City. The year before that, it was Chad Henne.

The Chiefs hope Minshew doesn’t have to step into a starting role since it would mean Mahomes would be dealing with an injury. 

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