Cardinals Make $15.5 Million Quarterback Decision on Sunday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Will Chesanek | Last updated Jul 26, 2026 3:38 PM ET

Mike LaFleur is the Arizona Cardinals head coach for the 2026 NFL season after being hired on Feb. 1. Arizona cleaned house after finishing last in the NFC West with a 3-14 record in 2025. Now, after spending the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator for Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams, LaFleur joins his older brother, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, in the head coaching ranks.

The 39-year-old head coach arrives at an Arizona team that made a splash in the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love with the No. 3 overall pick in the first round. Another major change is the team moving on from quarterback Kyler Murray, who was released after spending seven seasons with the Cardinals.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1).© Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft did not miss a single game during his first two years in the league. Starting in 2021, when he missed three games due to an ankle injury, the 5-foot-10 quarterback missed 33 total games in his career due to injury, missing time every season except 2024. After suffering a foot injury in Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans during the 2025 season, quarterback Jacoby Brissett took over as the starter.

Brissett performed admirably for the Cardinals, producing the best statistical season of his career. The former NC State Wolfpack standout set career highs in passing yards (3,366) and touchdowns (23). Arizona reportedly wants to capitalize on the positive momentum, as the team announced a decision on the 33-year-old.

On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter went to the social media website Instagram to report that Arizona and Brissett have agreed to a new one-year, $15.5 million contract. Schefter notes that Brissett was in the second year of a two-year deal that paid $4.88 million, had skipped most of the team's offseason program as he awaited a new deal, and will still be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

"Arizona and QB Jacoby Brissett, who skipped most of the team's offseason program as he requested a new deal," Schefter wrote in the Instagram caption. "Reached agreement today on a reworked one-year, $15.5 million guaranteed contract. Brissett was in the second year of a two-year deal that was scheduled to pay him $4.88 million in base salary. There were no new years added to Brissett's reworked contract, and he still is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after this season."