5 Brutally Honest Thoughts on Jacoby Brissett's New Cardinals Contract

ARIZONA — The deed is done.

The Arizona Cardinals handed Jacoby Brissett a significant pay raise ahead of the 2026 season, satisfying the veteran ahead of his final year in the desert while ending his hold-in and gaining the presumed starter back in the mix.

Five brutally honest thoughts on Brissett's contract, and where we go from here:

1. Jacoby Brissett Emerged as Clear Winner

We previously touched on this, but if we're going to anoint a clear winner from this process, it's Brissett.

He might have been the first quarterback in league history to have started 12 games on a three-win team and successfully held out for a more lucrative extension that is now paying him nearly three times as much — without incentives.

At 33 years old, this was likely Brissett's final opportunity at a lucrative contract with starting duties in mind, and he made the most of it even without an agent to represent him during talks.

Brissett went toe-to-toe with the Cardinals and ultimately walked away with $15.5 million guaranteed and opportunity to earn up to $21 million.

Arizona hasn't played a game yet, though Brissett's 1-0 already in 2026.

However...

2. This Isn't a Bad Deal for Cardinals, Either

Shifting into a front office perspective, it's not as if the Cardinals were taken to the woodshed.

Are the optics of paying Brissett bad from the outside? Surely, and they'll continue to face heat for it well into the regular season. That being said, the Cardinals are confident in Brissett's ability to manage Mike LaFleur's new offense.

$15.5 million is nothing for a starting quarterback, which is what Arizona believes they have. He did go 1-11 as the Cardinals' starter last year, though beyond box score scouting it's clear Brissett isn't a bad quarterback. He kept the offense going on time, spread the ball out and didn't turn the ball over at a high rate.

If all cylinders are firing in LaFleur's offense, that's all you can really ask for out of a quarterback at this point in time.

No new years were added to Brissett's deal, either. Arizona can rinse their hands from the veteran after this year and march forward into the future, which could involve their third-round pick.

3. This Won't Prevent Carson Beck From Playing in 2026

Yes, the Cardinals paid Brissett. Much more money. And yes, Arizona undoubtedly will start him to begin the season.

However, Brissett's reworked deal won't preclude the Cardinals from pulling him out of the starting lineup if Arizona's again in the basement of NFL standings, especially with massive questions needing to be answered on Beck ahead of a potentially bountiful 2027 quarterback class.

Brissett's $15 million figure isn't quite the mammoth figure fans make it out to be in the grand scheme of Arizona's salary cap picture. The Cardinals, if bad enough, will make a change at quarterback.

As for Beck, he's struggled a bit early in camp but will need live reps during the regular season, as many as possible, before the Cardinals can feel confident in making an assessment on their rookie quarterback.

That's a decision that could change the franchise's trajectory. The Cardinals know that, and if they enter the 2027 offseason without having seen Beck play, either Arizona shocked the world with how competitive they were or the Cardinals have to essentially guess on their future of football's most important position.

4. This Does Make Gardner Minshew Expendable for Trade

Where does all of this leave veteran free agent signing Gardner Minshew?

Available for trade, that's where. That's not to say the Cardinals will be itching to offload Minshew at the first opportunity, though Arizona will surely find themselves in a position where a team who, perhaps suffered an injury at quarterback, wants to get a cheap but experienced stopgap.

With Brissett now firmly in the driver's seat and the aforementioned Beck situation needing attention, Minshew finds himself in the middle of a quarterback sandwich where he's not going to be a key ingredient.

If the price is right, perhaps a contending team will lose their star and want to pay up for Brissett. However, Minshew is by far the most likely candidate to go around the trade deadline — which is odd considering he's looked the best of any quarterback during camp.

5. Jacoby Brissett Ruffles Feathers, And You Have to Respect it

I've been fairly critical of Brissett through this process, calling the contract standoff laughable earlier in the offseason. His words after inking the deal — where he told reporters he couldn't care less about people who questioned him and his decision to ask for a raise — also ruffled some feathers.

Brissett is somebody who is very much, and unapologetically, himself. He's not quite a PR nightmare and he doesn't actually say or do anything questionable, but he's always been blunt in terms of his words and opinions.

It's so easy to repeat a media-trained answer while taking the high road, so we appreciate athletes who are actually open and honest in front of a microphone instead of regurgitating the same answer time and time again.

Even if Brissett isn't a fan-favorite, his boldness and honesty is respectable in world that doesn't see much of that anymore.

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