I know some think you should bring in a veteran quarterback to "mentor" a rookie quarterback.  I'm not big on this.  If your backup does that, fine, but I don't break the bank just to get a mentor.  You already have a quarterbacks coach whose full time job is to mentor the quarterback.  If that isn't enough, you can hire an assistant quarterbacks coach.  Coaches don't count against the salary cap.  A high priced backup does.

In the Jaguars situation, I'm strongly of the belief that Trevor Lawrence will start week one.  As such, the backup only matters in case of an injury.  This makes the backup position a gamble.  If Trevor Lawrence is lost for the entire season, we would wish we got the high priced backup.  If Trevor Lawrence plays the entire season, you've just wasted salary cap space on a player who contributed nothing to the team.  It's a balancing act.  My inclination is to emphasize the starters.  What good are backups if you team can't win games with your starters playing?  Ryan Fitzpatrick had a salary of $8 million last year.  That's money that you could use towards a starting offensive lineman or tight end or something else.  I would emphasize utilizing our salary cap to build the best team possible around Lawrence.  Fitzsimmons would make more sense for a team where the rookie may not be ready to start until mid-season.  For Jacksonville, I'd get someone better than Minshew and Glennon but don't break the bank for someone like Fitzsimmons.

---