Jacoby Brissett ‘looks the part’ for Mike LaFleur’s QB vision
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur has yet to work with Jacoby Brissett. That doesn't mean he's flying blind ahead of his first year with the veteran.
Watch: Breaking down the Arizona Cardinals' running back room and preseason offense | 9 mins
Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur has yet to work with quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
That doesn’t mean LaFleur is flying blind heading into his first year with the veteran signal caller.
“I can’t lie so I just tell him I’ve always thought he’d be a really good fit for this system,” LaFleur said Monday at the NFL owners meeting. “You guys see how big he is back there, his stature, the play-action game. I think he does a good job of getting the ball out of his hands when there is some trouble with the pocket.
“He just looks the part back there,” the head coach added.
"He just looks the part back there."
For years, Mike LaFleur believed QB Jacoby Brissett could be a good fit for the new Cardinals head coach's system.
LaFleur explains why before diving into what Gardner Minshew brings to the table and a four-hour FaceTime between the two at… pic.twitter.com/JwLOmWNM8n
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) March 30, 2026
While a lot can change between now and Week 1 of the regular season — we haven’t even gotten to Phase 1 of Arizona’s offseason program nor the 2026 NFL Draft — LaFleur’s comments on Brissett are another indicator the quarterback at the very least is the leader in the clubhouse for the starting role.
Throw in Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro’s reporting new addition Gardner Minshew was brought in as a backup option to Brissett, it would be more surprising if the incumbent Cardinal isn’t at the helm once the season gets underway.
One of the new photos up at the Cardinals practice facility. pic.twitter.com/JpnwwFUtUS
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) March 11, 2026
Seeing Kirk Cousins, who Arizona reportedly had interest in this offseason, head to the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, only adds to it. Sure, Jimmy Garoppolo is still lurking around for a new deal, but it sounds like that is a nonstarter for the Cardinals after those talks fell through earlier this offseason.
Look, Brissett is not Arizona’s long-term answer at the position. He is not its next franchise signal caller. The Cardinals would be fooling themselves if they truly believed that. Brissett could also very well be on another roster this time next offseason given his current contract.
But for the time being, he represents Arizona’s best option in 2026.
The wins were at a premium with Brissett under center for 12 starts last year. Despite seeing more than twice the amount of games as former Cardinals starter Kyler Murray (five), Brissett posted a 1-11 mark, compared to Murray’s 2-3 record.
Even with a one-dimensional offense, Brissett added another layer to the passing game with his ability to hang in the pocket, get through his progressions and operate under center and out of play action at a higher clip.
Opening up more of that side of the offense, Brissett finished tied for 14th in touchdowns (23), seventh in yards per game (240.4) and 14th in total yards (3,366). He did so despite being sacked the fifth-most times (43) and working with the second-worst run game in the league at 93.1 yards per game and just nine touchdowns.
The biggest positive out of Brissett’s 12-game sample size, though, was what he got out of his pass catchers.
Michael Wilson went from seemingly a non factor across the first five games of the season — eight catches for 52 yards and a touchdown — to exploding as Arizona’s WR1 the rest of the way.
Of his 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns on 78 catches, Wilson saw 954 yards, six scores and 70 receptions with Brissett running the show.
Tight end Trey McBride, meanwhile, planted his flag as one of the premier tight ends in the league, if not the top of the mountain.
Nearly doubling his career touchdown total with 11 in 2026, McBride added 1,239 yards on 126 catches. Much like Wilson, it wasn’t until after Brissett took over that his output reached career heights.
Those connections should only grow through the offseason and into 2026 play.
What’s the plan for Cardinals QB Gardner Minshew?
Brissett wasn’t the only Cardinals signal caller to get a lot of love from LaFleur on Monday.
Minshew may be viewed as the backup, but LaFleur is eager to get to work with a signal caller he got to know real well from their time together at the 2019 Senior Bowl.
“The day we signed him, he wanted all the information already, which is really no different than when I had him at the Senior Bowl,” LaFleur said.
“I remember FaceTiming with him for like four hours, like three days before we were first going to Mobile, because he wanted to learn the offense to just kind of be ahead of the curve and that’s just who he is. That’s just how he’s wired. That’s why he’s had success in this league and why he’s putting in so many years.”
Still, seeing Minshew get the starting nod in Week 1 seems unlikely given Brissett’s 2025 resume and his already established connections with Arizona’s primary pass catchers.
What about adding through the NFL Draft?
The Cardinals’ quarterbacks room looks just about filled out with Brissett, Minshew and Kedon Slovis.
That doesn’t mean Arizona can’t look to the draft and potentially get a head start on their franchise quarterback search.
Alabama’s Ty Simpson has gotten a lot of love recently and is expected to be the second quarterback off the board after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
Miami’s Carson Beck, who along with Simpson have scheduled top 30 visits with Arizona, Penn State’s Drew Allar and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier make up other options the Cardinals could look into.
But even if Arizona went the rookie route a year early in attempt to get another swing at the franchise QB plate, seeing any of those prospects mentioned taking the reins in Week 1 seems more unlikely than Minshew.
Related
LaFleur: Kyler Murray split from Cardinals 'good for both parties'
Cardinals name new head strength and conditioning coach, restructure staff
Key offseason dates to remember for Cardinals
Cardinals officially announce joint practice with Packers ahead of preseason game
NFL mock draft tracker: What will Cardinals do with No. 3 pick?
Say what now? Hjalte Froholdt’s 1-of-a-kind way to describe Cardinals’ QB play
Comments
14 Comments
Jacoby played decent last year, the offensive failure was more the terrible O-line play and the coaching decisions putting them in terrible situations. Then the Defense went to crap.
Jacoby wasn’t playing hero ball and going off script like what Kyler would do. He ran the plays called, stood in the pocket, and made the reads. He’s a solid backup QB that can win you 4-7 games.
Petzing calling play-action pass plays 80% of the time when they have zero run game and no O-line is pretty much what did them in. Jacoby had some big plays off some PA passes in a few games, so Petzing decides that’s all he’s going to do.
Given the schedule this year, they probably win 4-6 games, regardless of who is at QB.
I really hope the talk about drafting questionably talented QBs like Beck, Simpson and Allar, is just typical of what comes out from NFL Clubs during their "Lying Season"
I PRAY Arizona has no real interest in Beck (horrible), Simpson (over-rated and therefore overpriced) or Allar (I question his courage based upon what I saw of him in College, so God forbid No) None of whom would be anything close to an improvement over Brissett or Mishew or possibly even Solvis. I'd take a flyer on Nussmeier but only if Arizona can get him for no more than their 3rd Round Pick (I would hope he drops to 4th or 5th Round). I don't see there being enough practice reps, let alone game reps considering they're only 3 preseason games.
I love Rueben Bain, Miami's tape, which is far and away the best in the draft. He has DOMINATED everyone opponent he's gone against for the last 2 years, never taking a play off, his motor goes non-stop. Those qualities are what the players on Championship teams have. I don't care about his arm length, I keep thinking how he completely bullied opponents who outweighed him by 50-70 lbs, pushing them around, often times running right over top of them. The important part of this last aspect, is that literally dozens of Bain's opponents are going to get drafted in 2026, numerous of them will be immediate starters. Putting Bain on the same line as Walter Nolen could give an elite run defense that also is incredibly effective at rushing the passer in the best way possible: driving lineman right back into the QBs lap.
Sean Payton w/ Russell Wilson.