Insider Buzz: Cardinals 'Intrigued' in Potential Trade for Bears QB

The Arizona Cardinals' quarterback position carries one of the more intriguing storylines of the 2026 offseason, though a recent twist was just revealed in their potential plans.

Amid the chaos surrounding Kyler Murray trade rumors, a new name has surfaced for the Cardinals according to Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro on X:

"Have heard the Cardinals are intrigued by Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent. He has one-year left on his deal so would have to trade for him. Grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia and went to Shepherd University. Was an undrafted free-agent who beat out PJ Walker for the backup job with Chicago and was so good the Bears signed him to a 2-year $10M extension."

Have heard the Cardinals are intrigued by Bears backup QB Tyson Bagent. He has one-year left on his deal so would have to trade for him. Grew up in Martinsburg, West Virginia and went to Shepherd University. Was an undrafted free-agent who beat out PJ Walker for the backup job…
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) February 17, 2026

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It's notable the Cardinals do still have 2025 starter Jacoby Brissett under contract through next season.

Bagent has just four career starts under his belt during his three years in Chicago. However, like Gambadoro highlighted, he's heralded by the Bears' organization. He also fits the mold of what general manager Monti Ossenfort has targeted in terms of size at the position, standing at 6-3.

Bagent would be a cheap alternative option for Brissett in a Cardinals' quarterback room that very much is in flux moving towards the future. With no strong immediate options for the Cardinals to pivot in terms of finding a future franchise quarterback, this would be a cheap holdover for Ossenfort.

Bagent and Brissett's combined cap figure would be around $13 million according to Spotrac. Kedon Slovis would still likely serve as QB3 in Arizona.

The Cardinals have still to move off Murray's contract, which will bring varying financial impacts to the Cardinals' cap in 2026. Arizona will eat $17.9 million in dead cap with a Pre-June 1 trade, however the Cardinals may be pressed to eat more of Murray's contract in order to faciliate a trade.

The team currently has a projected $39.1 million in cap space this offseason (per OTC) with potential moves on the way to generate roughly $20 million more.

Arizona's path for the quarterback position is becoming clear: Offload Murray to start the Mike LaFleur era, explore cheap alternatives for the position with Brissett as the starter while building other areas of the team this offseason.

The offensive line should be a top priority — and this free agent does make sense.

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