3 Honest Thoughts on Cardinals, Jacoby Brissett Contract Drama

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett wants a raise, per reports.

Brissett is reportedly absent from Cardinals voluntary workouts in hopes of securing more money on his contract, one that he hopes can be extended for multiple seasons.

Three honest thoughts on the whole situation:

1. The Want For More Money This Year is (Sort of) Understandable

Brissett inked a two-year deal with Arizona to initally be their backup quarterback to Kyler Murray. Murray got hurt last year, which prompted Brissett into a starting role for majority of the season. Entering the final year of his backup deal, he's again set to be a starter.

From a financial perspective, Brissett doesn't want to be a starting quarterback making backup money, and that's fair.

In terms of total cash, Brissett's $5.4 million figure ranks 24th in the league for 2026. That's a low number for a starting quarterback and even ranks behind newly signed projected backup Garner Minshew at $5.75 million.

If Brissett indeed was going to be the starter, a pay bump was needed this year — though the dollar amount could and should be debated.

2. The Timing of This is Extremely Weird

Brissett had all offseason to make this request, though it might have been tough to predict what direction the Cardinals wanted to go with Kyler Murray, Malik Willis, Jimmy Garoppolo and other avenues also coming.

However, Minshew's been on the roster for practically a month. Zaven Collins told reporters last week everybody was in attendance for the start of voluntary workouts.

What changed?

Yesterday, Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort met with reporters for his pre-draft press conference and was asked about naming a starter at quarterback.

"We got Jacoby [Brissett], Gardner [Minshew], they both played a lot of ball. I think as we sit here today we're trying to install a system, you guys [HC Mike LaFleru] are rolling, you know, I'll defer to you [LaFleur] to you on that but we're not really naming anybody, and we'll see how that room looks by the time we get in August."

That was very non-committal, to say the least. Did that have something to do with the timing of Brissett's demand? Perhaps.

3. This Shouldn't Force Cardinals to Draft Ty Simpson

I've seen this a ton on X after the news initially broke, and while this isn't a shining endorsement for Brissett, this situation also doesn't pin Arizona in a corner to draft Ty Simpson.

The reality is Simpson's destiny as a Cardinal was already forged prior to this news, regardless if Arizona actually wanted or didn't want the Alabama passer.

With Minshew on the roster, the Cardinals shouldn't feel pressured to immediately add Simpson — we have to remember Brissett's contract is set to expire after this year anyways. A knee-jerk reaction to Brissett wanting more money isn't good business.

Is Minshew a sure bet to win games? Absolutely not, and that's not the preferred avenue Arizona wants to take. However, nothing should change about the Cardinals' draft plans with a journeyman quarterback wanting more money in the final year of his deal.