The Arizona Cardinals (3-5) are fresh off a riveting victory over the Dallas Cowboys (3-5) on Sunday.
This came on the heels of effectively benching incumbent starter Jacoby Brissett late in the third quarter of the game.
The Cardinals were down 17-3 when turning to Gardner Minshew II. A furious comeback led to a 33-30 victory.
This is very likely to end Brissett’s tenure as Arizona’s starting quarterback. What exactly does the future hold for the partnership between Brissett and Arizona?
Cardinals Could Look to Trade Brissett
The clearest outcome of the effective end of Brissett’s time with the Cardinals is a trade. The 34-year-old Brissett is a free agent following the season, so moving on ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline is the wise approach to take.
Insider Ian Rapoport (NFL Network) seems to believe there is a definite path to the journeyman finding another opportunity.
“Jacoby Brissett, effectively benched in Arizona, could he be made available?”
Trading Brissett elsewhere is a clean approach to take. There’s not a strong chance for Arizona to move on from Minshew at this stage, with the Baltimore Ravens making sense as a destination according to Rapoport.
Baltimore isn’t only gripping with another injury to Lamar Jackson. The team has also lost backup Tyler Huntley due to turf toe. There’s only one active quarterback on the roster for Baltimore.
Could a sixth-round pick be enough to incentivize the Cardinals to decide to complete a trade? It’s certainly possible. There’s also a chance that teams such as the Atlanta Falcons express interest as they go through quarterback woes.
Either way, the Brissett partnership seems to be over.
Partnership Between Brissett, Arizona Was Largely Failure
Arizona fans grew wary of Kyler Murray over the years, with Brissett’s willingness to push the ball downfield giving the same fans optimism. Brissett threw for 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.
This hasn’t been the case throughout 2026. Brissett ranks in the bottom third of the league in average depth of target (PFF), while also throwing seven interceptions. The usage of star receiver Michael Wilson has also been a major concern. Overall, there were a number of offensive issues preventing the talent from fully showing out, but Brissett was at the forefront.
Beyond the numbers, the overall headache throughout the process has seldom been justifying to the partnership. The NC State alum famously spent much of the offseason holding out for a raise after the organization tabbed him as the starter in 2026.
The 4-16 record, arguably holding key pass catchers back, and holding out have made this experiment a failure. The rapid rise of Minshew and impending moment that Carson Beck will receive is only exasperating this notion.
While Brissett did provide positive value, he simply didn’t get the job done often enough.
The Cardinals now could be moving forward with Minshew as the starter in the interim. Arizona is taking on the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday in the final game prior to the trade deadline.
Jacoby Brissett’s Apparent Benching Raises Major Questions for Cardinals