Cardinals signing up for a QB reclamation project in 2026? Not so fast

Quarterback reclamation projects have been all the rage in the NFL. Could it be a realistic avenue for the Arizona Cardinals in the post-Kyler Murray era?

While the idea is far from new, the trend seriously kicked into gear a few years back with Baker Mayfield heading to the Los Angeles Rams. He’s since parlayed that L.A. cup of coffee into a starting job and a couple of postseason appearances in Tampa Bay.

Sam Darnold resurrected his career with a monster season in Minnesota. He’s now getting it done in Seattle, which is fighting for the top spot in the NFC West.

Now, Daniel Jones is having a Darnold-esque turnaround with 8-2 Indianapolis following years of inconsistency in New York.

Mac Jones has also entered the equation after a strong 5-3 stint in San Francisco filling in for the injured Brock Purdy.

Those kinds of success stories make you wonder if the Cardinals could be next in line, especially with high-level rookie quarterback prospects few and far between in 2026.

But given what the 2026 free-agent pool currently looks like, it would take some serious convincing.

Sure, Daniel Jones may be a free agent after this year, but he’ll more than likely re-up with Indianapolis following his 2025 resurrection. Both parties seem more than happy to run it back.

And how much more do veterans like Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson, Marcus Mariota, Jimmy Garoppolo and Tyrod Taylor seriously have in the tank?

Take those names out of the equation and that leaves a pool headlined by guys like Trey Lance, Gardner Minshew, Zach Wilson and Kenny Pickett.

Three of those names — Lance, Wilson and Pickett — fit that same criteria of first-round failures that Daniel Jones, Darnold, Mayfield and Mac Jones once were. But seeing a similar bounce back like the names mentioned above seems like a crap shoot.

Even waiting out some potential releases — names like Justin Fields and Kirk Cousins come to mind — just feels like a step back in the wrong direction.

Does the current regime really want to hitch their wagon to one of those arms in a make-or-break season following Arizona’s 2025 flop? It’s hard to imagine.

If next season is anything like this year, heads will be rolling sooner than later.

Don’t get me wrong, a veteran is needed to help right the ship next year. Arizona, however, may already have the answer on the roster.

And his name is not Murray.

If Jacoby Brissett can continue to lead the offense in the right direction while putting a few more wins on the board in an otherwise forgotten season, the veteran is going to put himself in a seriously good spot to remain the starter in 2026.

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