Cardinals Not Shying Away From QB Plans Ahead of NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals are highly expected to take a quarterback at some point in the 2026 NFL Draft, though exactly who the freshest face will be and how they get to the desert remain massive question marks.

Even before the latest Jacoby Brissett contract drama, the need for a passer was there as Brissett and fellow veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew are both slated to become free agents at the end of the 2026 season.

The Cardinals said they haven't been shy about doing their homework on quarterbacks in this year's draft class.

"I think we have different characteristics as it goes for every position. I think big ones for me [are] accuracy and decision-making, those are always at the forefront," general manager Monti Ossenfort told Cardinals reporters when asked what he looks for in college quarterbacks.

"And so every year there's different flavors of quarterbacks. Different sizes, different styles. And so it looks different. The college game looks different than the NFL game does. And so it's up to us to really look at those guys and project how they're going to translate to our league.

"Every year is different, and we certainly did our share of evaluation on the quarterbacks in this year's draft."

The Cardinals have been heavily connected to Alabama's Ty Simpson, who is a potential late first-round pick and would require a trade up from Arizona's early second-round pick (No. 34 overall) to land him.

Simpson isn't the only top quarterback they've met with, as other prominent college names such as Penn State's Drew Allar and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier are also potential options for Arizona to bring in. Nussmeier is expected to be a Day 2 (Rounds 2/3) selection while Allar could be a late-round option on Day 3 (Rounds 4-7).

Other options such as Miami's Carson Beck, Baylor's Sawyer Robertson and North Dakota State's Cole Payton also had contact with Arizona this offseason.

Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur says in terms of adding a new face to the room, there's several different variables when it comes to not only drafting a quarterback — but also how they fit into the big picture:

"There's no factual statement with what I'm about to say but the college game and the pro game are just so different. Where did that college player play? Was the competition as high as it was at School A compared to School B? And so there's so many factors in there," LaFleur said.

"Ultimately you're going to play the best player that you think is going to give you the best chance to win, period. If all things are equal then, yeah, you'd rather have that veteran kind of show that guy. But again, if we all believe as an organization that the young guy is going to give you the best chance during that 60 minute game to win, then you're going to throw him out there."

The Cardinals are thought to be planning to start Brissett immediately regardless of what quarterback arrives, if one even does. However, the planning for the future — especially entering Ossenfort's fourth year — always needs to be taken into consideration.

After parting ways with Kyler Murray, Arizona wasn't able to find their future franchise quarterback in either free agency or the trade market.

Could the draft kick that door down?