Cardinals seem to be leaving the door open for Ty Simpson to be their 2026 Week 1 starting quarterback

Shortly after it was confirmed that the Arizona Cardinals would be parting ways with quarterback Kyler Murray in March, a report claimed that Jacoby Brissett was on track to enter the 2026 season as Arizona's QB1 ahead of fellow journeyman Gardner Minshew.

However, that was before numerous analysts and reporters began linking the Cardinals with Ty Simpson of the Alabama Crimson Tide ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort hinted that Arizona's Week 1 starting signal-caller may not yet be on the roster. 

Cardinals want to see how their quarterback room looks this summer

"As we sit here today, we're trying to install a system," Ossenfort explained, per Nick Shook of the NFL's website. "You guys (new head coach Mike LaFleur's staff) are rolling. You know, I'll defer to you on that, but we're not really naming [a starting quarterback], and we'll see how that room looks by the time we get in August."

Neither Brissett nor Minshew is a long-term answer for any club at the sport's most important position, but either could be a bridge option who could start ahead of a rookie later this year. On Thursday, LaFleur insisted he feels "really good" about the club's quarterback situation heading into the draft. 

"None of that is being discussed because all we're trying to do is get a foundational aspect of what this system looks like," LaFleur added about not naming a starting quarterback at this time. "And then, like I keep telling the guys, we have the foundational aspects of what we want it to look like, but we're going to fit it to the skillset of what these guys can do."

What could the Cardinals want in a rookie quarterback?

Whispers have suggested that the Cardinals could shock the football world by selecting Notre Dame Fighting Irish star running back Jeremiyah Love with the draft's third pick and then trading back into the first round to acquire the previously mentioned Simpson. If such a scenario played out, Simpson could be given a chance to compete for the Arizona starting job this summer. 

"Big ones for me -- accuracy, decision-making -- those are always at the forefront," Ossenfort said about what he looks for in a potential future franchise quarterback. "Every year, there's different flavors of quarterbacks; different sizes, different styles. It looks different. The college game looks different than the NFL game does. 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 evaluations on the quarterbacks in this year's draft."