RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesThe good news is the Arizona Cardinals and veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett have finally resolved their differences.
The bad news is the Cardinals still have one of the weakest quarterback situations in the NFL.
A lot can happen between now and the end of the 2026 regular season, but most signs continue to point to the Cardinals finishing with a Top 5 draft pick and targeting another quarterback as their hopeful future franchise savior.
For this season, at least, the starting QB will be the 33-year-old Brissett, who agreed to a reworked one-year deal with the Cardinals on Sunday, July 26. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Brissett gets a raise from $6.5 million to $15.5 million with a chance to earn $21 million.
That is fair compensation for an NFL starting quarterback such as Brissett, even if it’s on the low end of the wage scale. He deserved a raise, and the Cardinals, after months of talking but no real action, finally rewarded him.
It was the right thing to do — even if Brissett’s time as the starter in 2026 eventually ends and the Cardinals hand the job over to rookie Carson Beck. At some point, it’s going to happen. Even if the Cardinals decide to draft a quarterback in 2027, they’ve got to see what they have in the third-round pick out of Miami, Florida.
It’s impossible to predict exactly how many games coach Mike LaFleur and general manager Monti Ossenfort will give Beck to make his case to become a realistic starting option moving forward. But there’s no question that Beck, like Brissett, deserves a raise and is worthy of getting an honest chance.
So, one quarterback controversy is over, and another is essentially brewing.
Brissett is coming off a career-high 3,336 passing yards and 23 touchdowns despite making just 12 starts last season upon replacing Kyler Murray. He showed very good command of the Arizona offense, even though the team only went 1-11 in his starts.
Missing all of offseason workouts due to his contract situation didn’t help Brissett get up to speed in learning all he needs to know about LaFleur’s offense. Now that he’s got his new contract, it will be a crash course in picking up all the nuances and re-engaging with his offensive teammates.
LaFleur said he isn’t worried.
“He doesn’t need to earn the defense,” LaFleur said Sunday, July 26. "He doesn’t need to learn the seed of the game. He doesn’t even really need to learn our players per se, but man, practice is still very important."
LaFleur added that Brissett will begin practicing with the first-team offense on Tuesday when the Cardinals return from a day off and begin their first official practice in full pads at State Farm Stadium.
Veteran Gardner Minshew II, LaFleur added, will practice with the second-team offense. That leaves Beck and Kedon Slovis battling for any reps they can get.
As for Brissett, it’s his team for the time being, and although the Cardinals aren’t expected to compete for a playoff spot this year, LaFleur is anxious to get things rolling now that Brissett’s situation has been resolved.
“He’s got a level head about himself, he’s been in a lot different systems, learned a lot of different things and seen a lot of different things,” the coach said. “He’s had the ups and downs with teams, all those kind of things. He’s in a good spot, and I’m really excited to get working with him now.”
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals still shaky at QB despite Brissett's new deal
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