What it Would Cost Cardinals to Cut, Trade or Extend Jacoby Brissett

The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Jacoby Brissett have reached an impasse.

Brissett is in search of a new contract and a result is not participating in voluntary OTAs for Arizona. The Cardinals reportedly are far apart from Brissett in negotiations for a deal, thus leaving the door wide open for what his future may hold.

Exploring every option:

How Much It Would Cost to Cut Jacoby Brissett

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

Typically, there's some massive differences between a Post-June 1 or Pre-June 1 cut with player contracts (as Cardinals fans saw with Kyler Murray) though that figure doesn't move with Brissett thanks to this being the final year of his contract.

At any point, the Cardinals can cut Brissett and save $5.94 million against the salary cap.

Arizona currently has $19.7 million in "effective" cap space, which takes into account money needed to sign their 2026 draft class.

This wouldn't be ideal for Arizona if they did want to part ways with Brissett, as general manager Monti Ossenfort would strongly want to get something in return for their projected starter — even if it's something small.

How Much It Would Cost to Trade Jacoby Brissett

Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brisset — Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) calls an audible against the Houston Texans in the third quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

If the Cardinals do part ways with Brissett, trading him would be the optimal route just so Arizona gets something in exchange for losing him.

Financially, Arizona would save $7.44 million against the salary cap — which is $1.5 million more than simply cutting him. The Cardinals aren't exactly strapped for cash, but every dollar (especially for their emergency fund this coming season or rolling over to 2027) does help.

In terms of a trade, an acquiring team would likely have to either extend Brissett's current expiring contract, give him a starting spot or perhaps even both. Simply put, there's not a lot of teams in that market after the draft to make that happen.

Brissett's age, contract and current demands make him a tough trade asset to squeeze if you're the Cardinals. They very likely are parting with him for a Day 3 pick in that scenario, perhaps a conditional sixth-round pick.

Andy Dalton — four years older than Brissett — was offloaded for a seventh-rounder back in March. A younger Justin Fields was swapped for a sixth-rounder while Geno Smith had a seventh-round pick attached to him to gain a sixth-rounder back.

How Much it Would Cost to Extend Jacoby Brissett

We've finally arrived to what many believe is the most probable portion of the program, as the Cardinals have been reportedly willing to work with Brissett on a new deal.

The only problem here is we don't know exactly what Brissett wants from a deal. More years? More guaranteed money? A bump in salary? That makes projections a big tough.

Brissett's $9.1 million cap hit actually ranks sixth on Arizona's roster for 2026 according to Spotrac.

Other rankings for Brissett compared to other NFL quarterbacks this season:

Cap hit: $9.1 million (25th)
Total cash due: $5.44 million (26th)
Base salary: $4.8 million (13th)
AAV of Cap: 2.24% (T-29th)

It's tough to find exactly where Brissett ranks in terms of guaranteed money for 2026 alone compared to other quarterbacks, though $6.5 million of his $8 million total guaranteed has already been allotted thanks to his signing bonus and 2025 salary.

That total currently ranks 34th out of all current NFL QB contracts.

He did see $1.5 million of his 2026 salary fully guarantee this past March and also has playing time incentives of 50% ($1 million) or 65% ($2 million) of snaps this year.

Using the NFL "average" for starting quarterbacks (16th for example in 2026 rankings), Brissett may be eying $24 million in cash for this coming season.

Using the same method, 12% of Arizona's cap this year may be a target number for Brissett. For example, Budda Baker's $19.2 million cap hit leads the Cardinals at 6.38%.

Spotrac has his market value at $10.9 million per season with a projected contract at two years, $21.8 million.

For reference, Arizona signed him on a two-year, $12.5 million deal in the 2024 offseason.

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