Cardinals' Mike LaFleur makes eyebrow-raising comment about QB situation amid Jacoby Brissett contract saga

While Jacoby Brissett and the Arizona Cardinals haven't yet put pen to paper on an adjusted contract that would give the quarterback a pay raise, he nevertheless participated in the team's first practice of training camp Thursday.

Thus, one could assume that Brissett is now seen as Arizona's undisputed Week 1 starter over fellow journeyman Gardner Minshew II and 2026 third-round draft pick Carson Beck. While speaking with reporters on Thursday, first-year head coach Mike LaFleur had an opportunity to silence chatter about his team possibly holding a quarterback competition through the preseason. 

LaFleur instead went down a different route. 

Did Mike LaFleur say something big in what he didn't say?

According to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, LaFleur was asked about the state of his depth chart and if Brissett is his first-choice QB1. 

"I'd describe it as Practice 1 on July 23," LaFleur responded.

Brissett stayed away from the Cardinals throughout voluntary springtime workouts, and he was mostly a spectator during Arizona's mandatory minicamp in June. Per Donnie Druin of Sports Illustrated, LaFleur said on Thursday that talks between the Cardinals and Brissett were "still ongoing." 

"It's been productive between us and his team," LaFleur continued. "So still ongoing, but I'd say the word productive." 

Mike LaFleur concerned with this regarding Jacoby Brissett

Leading up to training camp, Weinfuss wrote on multiple occasions that Brissett was "informed by the Cardinals that he is their starting quarterback" for the 2026 season. On Thursday, LaFleur insisted that he was focused on getting Brissett "up to speed with our operation" and with how the offense will run under the first-time head coach. 

"Really not worried about what any of these guys have ever done in the past," LaFleur added. "It's just about building that one day at a time and seeing how good we can be every single day. Like I told him yesterday, we don't need a peak on July 23. We need to get better on July 23. We need to compete against each other on July 23. We need to have the best first block we can without pads. And then we put the pads on; now we get to play a little bit more real football, and we don't have to peak on July 30 or whenever. We just have to get better. And then when we get to Sept. 13, that's when we have to say, 'Hey, did we do everything we could to be the best Cardinal team we could be?'"

Long before Sept. 13, the Cardinals and Carolina Panthers will face off in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 6. One wonders if LaFleur will name his starter before that Thursday arrives.