Jacoby Brissett's Minicamp Return is Too Little, Too Late for Cardinals Fans

The damage is probably already done for Brissett.

Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) looks to pass during the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

ARIZONA — Jacoby Brissett is finally back in the building.

According to ESPN, Brissett has ended his holdout through offseason conditioning and voluntary team activities with mandatory minicamp beginning today.

"While Brissett will be in attendance, it's uncertain how much on-field work he will do," wrote ESPN's Josh Weinfuss.

Brissett is in the final year of his contract and is still hoping for a re-worked deal. He would have been fined over $100,000 if he did not show up to Cardinals camp this week. Mandatory minicamp in Arizona is from June 8-10.

For the Cardinals, they're set to get their projected starting quarterback in the building for the first time in 2026, where Arizona is installing a new offense under first-year coach Mike LaFleur.

For Cardinals fans, the damage to Brissett's reputation may already be done.

Why it's too little, too late for Jacoby Brissett

Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) looks to throw downfield against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Perhaps this would have been different if Brissett showed up to OTAs in a sign of good faith, and being fully transparent, Brissett has solid reasoning for wanting a new deal. He signed to Arizona on a backup quarterback contract and was anything but last season.

2026 is expected to again see him in the saddle, and thus he probably wants a bit more of a pay bump — which is understandable in a vacuum.

But we don't live in a vacuum. We live in a world where the optics of Brissett's holdout puts him in a fully negative light, and Brissett will have to have a career year to compensate for the negative attention he brought this offseason.

Brissett statistically had a career-best yards and passing touchdowns last season, though the Cardinals went 1-11 with Brissett as the starter in 2025.

Wins aren't a quarterback stat, though the weight of that record on Brissett, who is at most a bridge quarterback for the Cardinals at this point in time, weighs heavy on the mind of Cardinals fans.

With Arizona signing veteran Gardner Minshew and drafting rookie Carson Beck to fill the quarterback room, Brissett's leverage entering OTAs for a new deal felt like a stretch.

This isn't news for the Cardinals — who reportedly have known about Brissett's desires since the early stages of the offseason. Arizona reportedly committed to him as QB1 and were willing to work with him on a contract.

Yet when reports of the two being "significantly" far apart on contract talks emerged, that made fans question: How much money is Brissett exactly searching for, and how egregious is that number for the Cardinals to not even be in the same ballpark as him?

Brissett's return will likely see him in the driver's seat for training camp, which is set to begin at some unknown date in mid-late July. If he's fully healthy, Brissett has the best shot at starting for the Cardinals in Week 1.

Yet the fanbase already has a sour taste in their mouth from Brissett's offseason, and the only thing to justify a raise is winning football games.

Until that happens, Brissett has an uphill battle ahead of him.