TEMPE — Gardner Minshew II has parked one of his defining possessions at the Arizona Cardinals’ training complex, a visible reminder that the quarterback’s life away from the field revolves around two consistent passions: football and hitting the road. The RV sat near the facility this week as the team worked through organized activities, an emblem of a habit Minshew has carried since his early NFL days.
Several new Cardinals took notice immediately. Offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. recounted asking Minshew whether the RV and road-trip persona were for show or for real. Johnson said Minshew’s response was direct and uncomplicated: “No, I’m serious about hitting that road, brother.” Teammate Hjalte Froholdt offered his own first-day impressions, describing how Minshew arrived in what Froholdt called a sprinter van and how the quarterback casually mentioned he could nap and shower in the back. “The first day (of voluntary work) he pulled up in the sprinter van (RV) and he’s like, ‘Yeah man, I can freaking take a nap and take a shower in the back of that thing, dude. It’s sick,'” Froholdt said.
Minshew keeps the description of his vehicle simple and practical. “It’s got four wheels and a bed, dude,” he said Wednesday, a plainspoken line that belies the freedom the setup provides. For a player whose offseason life often involves traversing wide-open spaces and stopping where the scenery — or the fishing — calls, that simplicity is evidently all he needs to combine rest, travel and routine between football obligations.
Arizona has supplied Minshew with plenty of local destinations worth exploring, and he’s taken advantage of them. He’s already visited well-known Northern Arizona spots such as Sedona and Flagstaff, and he has made the drive to the Grand Canyon. On those outings he has described each trip as having its own appeal — “good in their own way,” he said — a concise acknowledgement that different corners of the state offer distinct experiences he enjoys.
Looking ahead, Minshew has started to circle a less-trafficked destination on his map: the eastern Arizona town of Greer. He specifically mentioned an interest in fly-fishing there. “I’d like to try to get out to Greer and do some fly-fishing out there,” Minshew said. “I think that sounds pretty cool. But there’s so much out here. It’s really cool.” For now, however, those plans remain on the back burner; the Cardinals’ current schedule of organized team activities leaves limited windows for extended personal trips.
The timing of the team calendar will largely dictate when Minshew can head out for a proper road trip. The Cardinals are in the middle of voluntary and organized work, and with mandatory minicamp scheduled to wrap in early June, there may not be an opportunity for a longer excursion until after that deadline. Training camp does not begin until late July, leaving a multi-week gap after minicamp during which players can travel, train individually or regroup with family and friends — and, for Minshew, perhaps fish in the cool streams of eastern Arizona.
He won’t necessarily be going it alone when he does find the time. Other Cardinals players have been linked to outdoor pursuits of their own. Pass rushers Josh Sweat and Zaven Collins, for instance, have been noted as teammates who have “wetted a line” before, which suggests Minshew might find willing company on a future trip. Whether any of those outings will coincide with the team calendar or be short weekend escapes remains to be seen, but the RV parked in Tempe is a clear symbol that longer drives remain on Minshew’s agenda.
What the sprinter van represents goes beyond mere convenience. It is a mobile base that allows a player with professional commitments to hit nearby trails, scenic overlooks and fishing holes without entirely stepping away from the regimented world of the NFL. For Minshew, whose road-tripping dates back at least to the period after his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the combination of a busy football schedule and the freedom to travel around Arizona appears to be a workable balance. With mandatory team activities and training camp shaping the calendar, Cardinals fans who enjoy spotting players around the state should keep an eye out: Minshew’s RV is ready to roll, and Greer may be on his itinerary once team obligations ease.