Jacoby Brissett doesn't have leverage he hopes he has for new deal
· Yahoo Sports
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett is coming off a career year statistically and, after Kyler Murray was released, was seen as the likely starting quarterback for 2026, even with the addition of free agency of Gardner Minshew and, more recently, the addition of Carson Beck in the third round of the draft.
However, Brissett is currently not happy with his contract. He is scheduled to make nearly $4.9 million in salary and up to $510,000 in per-game roster bonuses. That is solid backup quarterback money, but it isn't anywhere near what even a low-end starting quarterback gets.
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Initial reports of Brissett's desires say that he wants a multi-year deal that pays him like a starter. He has decided to stay away from the voluntary offseason program.
However, Brissett might not have the leverage he thinks he has.
Yes, he set career-highs in passing yards and passing touchdowns. Yes, Michael Wilson and Trey McBride had career years thanks to Brissett. However, the Cardinals went 1-11 when he started and 0-9 after the starting job was given to him, and the offense averaged only 18.7 points over the final nine games, so there were yards but there weren't points.
The Cardinals then signed Minshew, who has 47 career starts and drafted Beck, who started 43 games in college. Minshew and Brissett are probably equal in skill and caliber of starter.
And now the Cardinals have a new head coach and offensive system. Minshew has been getting reps. Brissett is not. Brissett has not worked in this system, so it isn't as if he already knows the offense.
Now, the Cardinals reportedly are open to accommodating Brissett, whatever that means, and general manager Monti Ossenfort said during the draft, with regards to Brissett and his contract, "things are in a good spot."
We at Cards Wire are very much pro-player when it comes to trying to get paid more. If a player thinks he can, by all means, handle business.
The problem is that Brissett doesn't seem to have any leverage. The Cardinals' hopes are lost without him. One could say that they had little hope even with him. After all, he went 1-11 last year, he is 2-15 in his last 17 starts in 2024-2025 and is 20-45 as a starter in his career.
The Cardinals got the best version of Brissett in 2025 and still weren't competitive. Is it reasonable to expect him to play at that same level?
And how much worse off would the Cardinals be with Minshew starting?
If Brissett can secure a little more security, good for him, but the situation right now doesn't seem to be in his favor.
The Cardinals are a team without a legitimate starting quarterback without real hopes of being competitive. Brissett doesn't likely have the value he thinks he has or deserves, and that is the sad reality.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Jacoby Brissett doesn't have leverage he hopes he has for new deal