Cardinals Aiming To Trade QB?

With Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew in Arizona’s first- and second-string spots, third-round rookie Carson Beck is blocked at the moment. But a recent report indicated the team understandably wants to evaluate Beck this season. The recent national championship game starter receiving an extended look appears to be on the radar for later in the campaign. The Cardinals first may need to move a quarterback in preparation.

Arizona wants to trade a passer before the deadline, casino.org’s Jason La Canfora notes. Both Brissett and Minshew are on one-year deals, the latter’s — thanks to the Brissett summer raise agreement — checking in much lower than the starter’s.

Both players have come up as trade possibilities recently. Minshew is on a one-year deal worth $5.75MM, but only $2.89MM comes in base salary. An acquiring team would be responsible for less than $2MM in the event of a deal. Brissett’s one-year, $15.5MM pact includes a $9.7MM base. The nomadic stopgap option would naturally appeal to a team that sees an injury shake up its QB situation, as Brissett has made a career of extended QB1 stays on short notice (his Indianapolis and Cleveland stints sticking out in this regard).

It still might be harder for Arizona to move the Brissett contract due to the paragraph 5 number, but the 11th-year veteran has 71 starts on his résumé. And if he is moved after Week 9, an acquiring team would be on the hook for less than $5MM in salary. Nearly three weeks remain until the deadline, and QB injuries over the next two weeks could certainly change interest levels in the 33-year-old passer. Brissett has completed 66.7% of his passes (at just 5.7 yards per attempt, however) and carries a 9:6 TD-INT ratio into Week 7.

Minshew, 30, last worked as a regular starter in Las Vegas; that stint did not go nearly as well as his Indianapolis 2023 season did. The former sixth-round Jaguars pick nearly piloted the Colts to the playoffs following Anthony Richardson’s early-season injury. He spent the 2025 season as Patrick Mahomes’ backup, going down in his first start. Minshew was cleared early in the offseason, signing with Arizona after a potential Mike LaFleur–Jimmy Garoppolo reunion hit a snag (Garoppolo remains a free agent).

Based on the Cardinals’ rebuilding path, moving one of these QBs is logical. Some evaluators had Beck as the most pro-ready prospect in this year’s class. With the Cards almost definitely set to be linked to arms in the 2027 draft pool, the team will soon need to see how Beck looks in games.