After Poor Outing in London and Nick Foles Set to Start Week 11, Gardner Minshew’s NFL OROY Odds Plummet

• Gardner Minshew has started at quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars since starter Nick Foles suffered a clavicle injury Week 1
• The eccentric Washington State product has kept the Jaguars afloat in Foles’ absence at 4-5 but struggled this past weekend
• With Foles returning from IR and announced as the starter, Minshew’s odds of winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year plummeted

The fun of the Gardner Minshew experience for the Jacksonville Jaguars came to a screeching halt this past Sunday as the rookie struggled against the division rival Houston Texans. Minshew committed four turnovers, two fumbles and two interceptions which doubled his season total to four picks in a single week.

Now, with starter Nick Foles healthy and ready to return from injured reserve, the feel-good story of an under the radar sixth-round pick rallying his team is facing the prospect of returning to the bench. The combination of a possible Foles return and Minshew’s performance against Houston tanked the rookie’s odds of winning Offensive Rookie of the Year going into week 10.

Going into Week 9, Minshew had NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year odds of +400. Now he’s up to +900 and has two players in front of him with better odds.

NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds

Odds taken Nov. 5

The Jaguars signed Foles as a free agent last spring to bring stability to an organization that spiraled out of control with Blake Bortles under center. In fact, part of why the Jaguars met the $21 million asking price was to send a message to the rest of the organization that Foles was the unquestioned leader of the team.

Why did the #Jaguars pay so much for Nick Foles if there were no other big bidders? We discussed here. pic.twitter.com/QOiulR6dcH

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 11, 2019

With the Jaguars having a cap hit north of $20 million tied up in Foles, at the very least it makes Minshew’s path forward more difficult. It’s not a surprise that Foles will return as the starter since the team has so much invested in him.

Even if Minshew gets back in later in the season if the Jaguars fall out of contention, his chances of winning rookie of the year are minuscule.

Minshew Is Beyond a Dart Throw

At this point, Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs has pulled away from the field. For all of the jokes cracked at John Gruden’s expense, he’s got the Raiders offense humming.

The Alabama product also has recent history working for him, as a quarterback has only won Offensive Rookie of the Year once in the last six years and a running back has won each of the last two years.

To bet Minshew would be pointless. Backups don’t win rookie of the year. It’d be a bet to maximize the value of +900 odds and that’s assuming he gets back in at some point.

Best Bet: Josh Jacobs (-125)