Cardinals Hit Snag With Jimmy Garoppolo Before Gardner Minshew Move

The Arizona Cardinals bulked up their quarterback room for 2026 with the addition of veteran Gardner Minshew in free agency, who is set to be the backup to Jacoby Brissett next season.

While the definition of "bulked" is subjective here, Arizona will see multiple veterans in their room after departing from Kyler Murray and missing on Malik Willis to start free agent festivities.

The Cardinals were linked to other free agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo thanks to his prior experience under new head coach Mike LaFleur before pivoting to Minshew today.

As it turns out, something stalled talks with Garoppolo — bad enough to see Arizona turn in another direction.

Cardinals, Garoppolo Failed Negotiations Forced Different Direction

Free agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo couldn't strike a deal with the Arizona Cardinal — November 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (11) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

From NFL insider Ben Volin:

"Hearing that the talks between the Cardinals and Jimmy Garoppolo hit a snag, prompting the Cards to pivot to Gardner Minshew."

It's unclear exactly what the snag was, as Garoppolo (according to reports) would have likely been the starter if signed in Arizona, as the team would have entertained trade offers for Brissett.

Garoppolo spent time under LaFleur in stops with the San Francisco 49ers and recently the Los Angeles Rams, where he could now possibly return for another season.

The snag could have potentially be salary, as the Cardinals weren't looking to spend big on the quarterback entering next year. They took a backseat to Miami in Willis negotiations and ultimately inked Minshew to a one-year deal worth up to $8.25 million with incentives, per reports.

Perhaps the Cardinals were actually insistent on keeping Brissett around and Garoppolo didn't want to enter a quarterback competition — which makes sense as he had a fairly comfortable gig in Los Angeles to sit behind Matthew Stafford with head coach Sean McVay running the show.

Minshew does bring veteran experience to Arizona's quarterback room and did make a Pro Bowl a few years ago, though this clearly isn't an upgrade to the overall talent at the position.

The hope with Garoppolo wasn't quite his skillset but rather his familiarity with what LaFleur planned to do, which would have helped install and familarity build quicker than usual thanks to Garoppolo's knowledge and experience under the first-year head coach.

It's not as if the Cardinals were strapped for cash, either. Arizona walked into today with just shy of $50 million in spending power, not counting restructures to James Conner and Sean Murphy-Bunting.

Yet the cookie has crumbled, and Garoppolo said no to the Cardinals. Insert Minshew.