Jake Plummer shares Cardinals experience that compares to Carson Beck

There are parallels between the 1997 and 2026 Arizona Cardinals when it comes to their quarterback situations, as Carson Beck finds himself in a similar space that Jake Plummer once occupied.

The Cardinals drafted Plummer in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft, and the noise ramped up with each given week that the more experienced Kent Graham started over the rookie. The noise was amplified by the fact that Plummer was already a Valley hero for his heroics at Arizona State, which had just played in the Rose Bowl.

Beck was a third-round pick (taken only 23 picks after Plummer was) and is presently the third-string quarterback behind veteran journeymen Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. One of the biggest questions for the Cardinals entering this season was when would the organization feel comfortable giving the rookie a chance.

Plummer and Beck have many differences in their play style and local status, certainly, but the former quarterback recalled on Arizona Sports’ Bickley & Marotta what that experience was like. And he shared some advice.

“I learned a lot about the game at ASU,” Plummer said. “When I got to the league, it was a whole other level. Defenses were doing way more things than the defenses in the Pac-10 were doing. It was an adjustment on learning my protections more than anything and knowing when I was good, when I was solid or where I needed to redirect. And that became a real hard challenge for me. As you see, in my first start, I threw four picks. But the crowd was excited to see me, so I got a little bit of a little leeway there. If I would have been in New York, man, they would have been throwing stuff at me. But I got my chance to grow up.

“When you finally find yourself there, you’ve got to remember that it’s just football. It’s still X’s and O’s. And if Beck goes out there, he’s not the answer. He’s not gonna have to do more than Jacoby Brissett. He’s just got to bring that fire, that passion and let those guys know. Take a hard hit and get back up. Talk some smack, go do your thing and have some fun. Make mistakes, pull the trigger, throw the ball into some tight windows. Figure out if you can really do it because the only way to know if you can make it in the NFL is to go out and do it.”

Plummer made his NFL debut in Week 8 of 1997, coming in during the fourth quarter of a game against the Philadelphia Eagles and leading a go-ahead, 98-yard touchdown drive.

The Cardinals went 3-6 with Plummer as the starter down the stretch before making a surprise playoff run the following season, winning their first postseason game since moving to the Valley in 1988.

Plummer said he was grateful to receive the opportunity to go through growing pains and improve as a young player. He ended up playing 10 years in the NFL and making the playoffs four times between the Cardinals and Broncos.

The Cardinals are currently 2-4 with Beck having yet to be active for a game this season, and they face a similar playoff win drought (2015 season). They will have a decision to make in the 2027 NFL Draft of whether they want a quarterback, reason to give Beck a look.

“Whenever you go in, you never really can be ready 100% to go play in the NFL,” Plummer said. “Everybody’s gonna want to see this kid do well, but there will be some tough moments for him. … Either way, exciting for that young man. Be patient, though. If he does go out, I don’t think you go back. You can’t put him out there and then go back to what you were doing before. It’s like you go to him, he’s gonna be the guy. So get ready, young man.”

Plummer has a lot of reunions to experience this weekend with ASU football at home against Kansas State on Saturday followed by the Cardinals and Broncos facing each other on Sunday.

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