Veteran QB Was Perfect Signing for Cardinals

On Tuesday, the Arizona Cardinals signed veteran QB Jacoby Brissett to a two-year deal. Brissett immediately becomes the favorite over previous backup Clayton Tune to be the next man up in the event of an injury to Kyler Murray.

Before the hot take artists get too involved, no, Brissett will not start games for the Cardinals without an injury to Murray preceding.

But Brissett was arguably one of the top backup options available this offseason. He's experienced, has started 53 games in his career, and knows how to take care of the ball.

He might not be flashy or make many highlight-reel plays, but he has good fundamentals and enough athleticism to back up a player like Murray.

Brissett has a career 53/24 TD/INT ratio, has thrown for 11,400 career yards, and a career rating of 84.3. For backup QB numbers, those are pretty significant. In 2023, he made three appearances, threw three touchdowns against zero interceptions, and completed 18 of his 24 passes.

In his rookie season, back in 2016, he was Tom Brady's third string QB in New England. He ended up making two starts in relief of a suspended Brady and injured Jimmy Garoppolo, and went 1-1 with 400 yards passing, a long rushing TD and no turnovers.

In 2024, he was named the starter over stud rookie Drake Maye. On a Patriots squad devoid of both talent and coaching, he threw for 826 yards, two scores and one pick while his team went a meager 1-4.

But when contextualized, Brissett has been the epitome of a reliable backup. At this stage of the 32-year-old's career, if he's starting more than a couple of games in a season, it's likely much more has gone wrong for his franchise.

But he's also 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, and a positive personality to add to a locker room. While he won't compete for a starting job, he'll bring veteran wisdom, and raise the floor of the Cardinals' QB room drastically.

At worst, he's a relatively cheap insurance policy on Murray's health who doesn't see the field. At best, he brings a dimension to the QB room and helps elevate Murray's play while providing quality backup reps if called upon.

It wouldn't be a surprise to see Brissett appear on short-yardage downs, perhaps as a QB sneak option with enough of an arm to not completely telegraph the playcall to an opposing defense.

It certainly isn't a totally satisfying move when looking at free agency as a whole for Monti Ossenfort and the Cardinals, but Brissett was the optimal solution to a a position group that desperately needed depth.

Unless Murray repeats his 17 games of health (an unlikely occurence for any QB), Brissett will be someone Cardinals fans could see on the field this year, and it'll probably look a bit better than it has in recent years.