How will the Cardinals’ Jacoby Brissett saga end?
Jacoby Brissett's contract back-and-forth with the Cardinals is one of a few big questions surrounding Arizona's quarterback spot.
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Less than a month out from the Arizona Cardinals reporting for training camp, the franchise’s quarterback situation remains murky.
Expected Week 1 starter Jacoby Brissett showed up for mandatory minicamp, though he did not participate in true hold-in fashion.
That left Gardner Minshew II, Kedon Slovis and Carson Beck — in that order — operating the offense throughout voluntary organized team activities for the one day of minicamp practice.
A look at the biggest question marks surrounding the quarterback position ahead of training camp:
Cardinals quarterback questions ahead of training camp
1. How will the Jacoby Brissett saga end?
Brissett’s ongoing contract back-and-forth with the team took over as one of Arizona’s biggest offseason narratives following head coach Mike LaFleur’s hiring and quarterback Kyler Murray’s release.
The journeyman quarterback was a solid locker room addition who got more out of the offense than Murray did before the former franchise quarterback landed on injured reserve.
That didn’t matter much to the win total, however, with Brissett posting one fewer victory (one) than Murray (two) despite playing in 12 games to his counterpart’s five.
A defense with more holes than Swiss cheese, a run game that had little juice and offensive line regression certainly didn’t help in boosting that win total for Brissett.
But even for the good Brissett put on tape, especially when talking about the career years from Trey McBride and Michael Wilson, having contract negotiations drag out is a distraction the Cardinals don’t really need to deal with.
Brissett asking to be paid as the starter is not a wild request. After all, he’s been viewed as the Week 1 starter and is set to make less guaranteed money than Minshew, who was signed to back up Brissett.
Making the quarterback’s salary cap number of $9.2 million guaranteed would not break the bank. Currently, he has $1.5 million guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.
Beyond that, though, the price doesn’t seem worth it with Beck waiting in the wings and another veteran starting option on the roster in Minshew.
There’s only so long the Cardinals are going to sit at the negotiating table. If this continues to drag well into training camp — which could come with a hold-in — moving off Brissett with a trade or release feels like Arizona’s next move.
2. How many games will Carson Beck start in 2026?
The 2026 third-rounder represents Arizona’s first swing at finding its next franchise quarterback in the post-Murray era.
And with a potentially loaded 2027 NFL Draft class, the Cardinals must get an extensive look at Beck before deciding if spending more first-round draft capital on a quarterback is worth it.
Giving Beck a runway to the starting role seems like the best-case scenario for all involved.
Arizona can take a stab at being competitive with either Brissett or Minshew running the show early on. It’s a good way to keep team morale up in what is expected to be another losing season.
That would also give Beck more time to fine-tune the details that much more.
Beck may have a lot of well-documented college experience. For many, giving him the rock in Week 1 is the dream.
But even he said the game is much different at the NFL level, specifically the speed of the game and the opponents faced.
That doesn’t mean putting Beck in bubble wrap, though.
Starting at least 10 games is the baseline this year for Beck.
3. Can Gardner Minshew II nab the starting role?
A lot of talk has been about Brissett and Beck starting for the Cardinals in 2026.
But what about Plan M?
It’s not as far-fetched as it might seem despite the early reporting that Minshew was brought in to back up Brissett.
While Brissett has postured for a new contract, Minshew has fit in with the offense almost seamlessly.
Whether it’s his vibes, leadership or command of the offense, he’s been a main talking point for Cardinals new and old this offseason.
He also has plenty of experience to go off of, with 47 starts across 63 career games and five NFL teams.
It’s not out of the question that Minshew wins the job at camp, especially if Brissett’s contract negotiations end with no deal in place.
Minshew could also just win the job outright.
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