Cardinals still have a quarterback situation brewing

On the surface, it would seem as if the Arizona Cardinals have things buttoned up at quarterback.

Veteran Jacob Brissett and the Cardinals agreed to a reworked one-year deal recently that will pay him $15.5 million for 2026. That's a raise from $6.5 million, and per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Brissett will get the chance to earn up to $21 million in incentives.

That's a big deal for Brissett, 33, and it seemingly has concluded the "quarterback competition" in Arizona before it has even started.

The Cardinals were expected to head into training camp trying to figure out who between Brissett, Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck will be the quarterback to start head coach Mike LaFleur's very first season on the job.

The Cardinals could still absolutely have a true competition in training camp, but NFL teams don't hand out $15 million to players they don't intend on playing.

One would assume that gives Brissett the entire 2026 season to play as the starter as long as he stays healthy, but interestingly, Bob McManaman of "The Arizona Republic" doesn't believe that is necessarily the case.

McManaman argues that with the Cardinals likely heading towards a high pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, they need to give Beck a chance to show what he can do. He believes Brissett deserved the raise, but that Beck also deserves the chance.

"Even if the Cardinals decide to draft a quarterback in 2027, they’ve got to see what they have in the third-round pick out of Miami, Florida," McManaman wrote of Beck.

Carson Beck needs a chance to show the Arizona Cardinals what he can do 

The Cardinals spent the 65th overall pick on Beck, and top 100 picks don't just grow on trees. Beck is certainly a pro-style quarterback at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, and he's coming off a run with the Miami Hurricanes that saw him throw for 3,813 yards and 30 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions as Miami made it to the College Football Playoff national championship game.

Beck looked like a big-time quarterback in the CFP, and he also had a few high-level seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs before that.

Can he be a high-level NFL quarterback, though? The Cardinals certainly believe so, or else they wouldn't have drafted him.

When will they get a chance to see that, though? As of now, Beck will start training camp as QB3 behind Brissett and Minshew.

"It’s impossible to predict exactly how many games coach Mike LaFleur and general manager Monti Ossenfort will give Beck to make his case to become a realistic starting option moving forward," McManaman wrote. "But there’s no question that Beck, like Brissett, deserves a raise and is worthy of getting an honest chance."