The Jacoby Brissett questions don’t stop with his return for minicamp

After months of keeping his distance, veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett is reportedly back with the Arizona Cardinals for mandatory minicamp.

But just because the veteran is once again within the walls of the Tempe training facility doesn’t mean the back-and-forth between player and franchise is anywhere closer to a resolution.

There are still plenty of question marks regarding where the two sides stand amid contract negotiations.

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Biggest questions surrounding Jacoby Brissett’s minicamp attendance

Where are contract talks at?

Just last month, it was reported Brissett and the Cardinals remained “significantly apart” in contract negotiations.

For Brissett, who has a base salary of $4.9 million but with just $1.5 million guaranteed, it’s all about being paid as Arizona’s starter.

Currently, he makes less guaranteed money than his projected and reported backup Gardner Minshew II ($2.9 million). And that’s before mentioning Minshew’s $2.25 million signing bonus.

How much does a return to Tempe potentially help move talks along?

Is this a hold-in loading?

It’s one thing to attend mandatory minicamp. It’s another to participate.

With no inkling that the two sides are any closer on a deal, there’s a good chance that this is nothing more than Brissett avoiding fines.

Want to still get your point across while keeping money in your pocket? Implement a good old-fashioned hold-in, where Brissett is in attendance for camp but doesn’t take part in any of the team activities.

Is it as strong a statement as holding out? Not by a long shot.

It’s still a tactic Brissett could use to his advantage during ongoing contract negotiations, though. And it’s a great way to avoid having to shell out $107,911 in potential fines.

How Brissett operates during practice on Tuesday and Wednesday will shed some more light on the situation.

How much longer do the Cardinals negotiate?

As far as leverage is concerned, Brissett doesn’t have much at this point.

Sure, Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson and tight end Trey McBride are firmly in his camp after breakout years, and other teammates understand the business side of the game.

But there’s only so long before it’s time to move on, especially when the player asking for more money isn’t in the long-term plans and you have a first-year head coach in Mike LaFleur looking to move forward as he continues to build out the offense and roster.

Don’t get me wrong — Brissett is a great bridge option. Guaranteeing more of his current salary wouldn’t be the worst idea given what he can bring to the quarterbacks room as a mentor and backup.

But anything more than that is simply asking for too much.

For one, Minshew has taken his offseason opportunity and ran with it, quickly becoming a locker room favorite thanks to his vibes, command of the offense and leadership. There are some Wally Pipp vibes here for sure.

And if you haven’t seen, the career numbers for Minshew and Brissett aren’t all that different. They’ve started plenty of games as career journeymen and have their occasional bright spots mixed in with head-scratching moments.

A lot of redundancy there.

There’s the Carson Beck aspect of it all, too. Brissett is expected to be the Week 1 starter. Beyond that is anyone’s guess.

Beck is bound to start at some point or another this year. The Cardinals have to see what they have in the young quarterback before potentially turning to the quarterback class in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Demanding to be paid as the starter is a tough sell when Beck is expected to take over later this year.

Why pay someone that kind of money when he may only start half the games (if that)?

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