The Cardinals don’t have a quarterback competition. In theory. But a competition possibly could emerge.
Jacoby Brissett is the starter. He’s not happy with a contract that paid him to be a backup. The Cardinals have yet to adjust his contract to compensate him fairly to be the QB1.
Brissett stayed away from the voluntary portion of the offseason program. He reported, as required, for the mandatory minicamp. He’ll presumably show up for training camp.
But what will he do when he gets there? Starting quarterbacks typically do more than just show up and do the minimum. They put in extra work. They do other things. They are, for many teams, a member of management who operates among the workers, operating as a de facto player-coach.
Will Brissett embrace the extra stuff, if he’s not happy with his contract? Really, why go above and beyond the basic requirements of the job if you’re not being paid fairly to do the job?
Then there’s the chance he’ll hold in, not practicing at all until he gets a revised contract.
Complicating the situation is that Brissett represents himself. Which necessarily makes the negotiations more delicate and potentially awkward.
If Brissett the agent advises Brissett the client to punch the clock and go home (or to decline to practice), it opens the door for one of the other quarterbacks to fill the void. Whether it’s Gardner Minshew or rookie Carson Beck (or a little of both) remains to be seen. But it could be that Brissett will choose not to operate at all times (or at all) like the starter unless and until he’s compensated like a veteran starter.
The Cardinals can easily avoid that outcome by figuring out a fair number for Brissett to be the starter. The range for veteran starters is currently broad, starting in the low 20s and extending into the mid-60s.
Under the two-year deal Brissett signed in 2025, his average annual salary is $6.25 million.
On one level, it’s madness. At another level, there’s a potential method to it. Stuck in a division with a trio of Super Bowl contenders, the Cardinals face a steep uphill climb to a playoff berth. It will be far easier to accept their fate for 2026 and sink in the standings — while rising in the draft order for 2027. Which sets the Cardinals up for the ability to draft one of the best quarterbacks in next year’s crop. (Unless and until Arch Manning makes it clear he’s not interested in playing there.)
Even if Brissett keeps the starting job (with or without an adjustment to his contract), it seems inevitable that Beck will get a chance to play. The Cardinals need to know whether he’s got the potential to be a year-to-year starter before committing to drafting a quarterback next year. If you think they won’t, remember that they took Kyler Murray with the first pick one year after trading up to No. 10 to draft Josh Rosen. (While also passing on Lamar Jackson.)
So, no, there’s officially no quarterback competition in Arizona. But if Brissett chooses not to accept the mantle of being the starter until he’s paid like one, a competition could unfold.
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