The 2026 NFL season is still young. It’s just Week 4, and anything can happen. Before the season began, the Cleveland Browns were projected to be a five-win team, while the Houston Texans had been penciled into the AFC Championship Game. Currently, the Browns are 3-1-0 while the Texans are 0-4-0.
The Arizona Cardinals are on the brink of their season. This weekend’s contest against the New York Football Giants was a pivotal game. A win would place them at .500, while a loss tosses the club into the spiraling
dumpster with numerous difficult games ahead of them. Arizona was on the doorstep with a first down at the four-yard line and could not punch it in with four plays in the 36-24 loss.
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Around the NFL, there have been a few trades already. The Dallas Cowboys just traded for safety Joey Porter Jr., while the Giants spent a fifth-round draft pick for QB J.J. McCarthy.
The NFL trade deadline is not until Tuesday, November 10 at 4:00 pm (Eastern). That means nobody is up against the final day to improve their roster, but even early in the season, coaches find weaknesses and are desperate to apply a remedy so the season doesn’t slip away.
The Cardinals have three healthy quarterbacks. So far, Jacoby Brissett has maintained himself as a good game manager but isn’t considered an elite quarterback, and probably never will. In 2026, before the Giants game, he was ranked #17 in total passing yards (652), #6 in attempts (117), #64 in yards per attempt (5.6), and tied for sixth in touchdown passes (4) against only one interception.
Now, Brissett is ranked #20. The most glaring stat change is that his interception column went from one to four.
One thing Brissett has always been is durable. He rarely gets hurt. Over his 11-year NFL career, he has mainly been the backup signed to every roster, but has suddenly been thrust into a starting role with Arizona this year.
With Brissett at the helm, veteran Gardner Minshew is his experienced backup, and the rookie Carson Beck is on the roster. There are rumors swirling that Minshew might be traded to a team that has either lost its starting quarterback or has moved their backup into the starting role and needs a dependable backup.
NFL Insider Jason La Canfora of Casino.org has reported that Minshew is the most obvious quarterback to be available to any QB-needy roster. He stated:
“(Minshew) can give you some energy and run around and make some things happen for a few weeks until he hits the wall. There will be turnovers, but he is game and will move the pocket and try to compete.”
The thought process is that a team, such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has lost their starting QB due to injury and will need a guy to come in for a few games. Minshew fits that bill. La Canfora has stated that an NFL GM told him that Minshew will be gone by the NFL trade deadline.
“Jacoby Brissett is fully solidified as the starter, and rookie Carson Beck is still healing up from a rib injury but would make sense moving into the QB 2 role.”
Let’s examine this scenario a bit.
For one, what would the Cardinals get in return for Minshew? Currently, he is paid $5.75 million as Arizona’s backup QB, which is cheap help. So, if Brissett were injured, the club would be paying their new starter low dough. It’s not like Minshew is getting upwards of $25 million a season to sit and wait for his opportunity. His contract is focused on him being the backup. He chose to sign with the Cardinals instead of sitting and waiting for the phone to ring, and is on an NFL roster.
What would become Minshew’s trade value? Most likely a third-day draft pick, such as a fifth-round selection and a bag of footballs.
How would this Cardinals roster change with another guy in the fifth round?
This is what will change if Arizona does move Minshew: suddenly, their backup QB is a rookie who has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game. Minshew has played in 63 NFL games with 47 starts and has plenty of live game experience, and yes, he may never play a single game this year. But he was signed with one thing in mind: an experienced player who can come in and start if an injury happens.
This scenario occurred last year. Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs was hurt, and Minshew played in four games.
Beck looked absolutely great in the Hall of Fame Game. In that game, he injured his rib and was taken off the practice list until it healed completely. He would move into Minshew’s position as QB2. Is that okay? Is that a good strategy? Basically, Beck has played in one contest – an exhibition. And that’s it. Plus, he went up against the other team’s #2 defense all game. Now, it is big-boy football going on, and Beck is not battle-tested whatsoever.
How will that 2027 fifth-round draft pick help this roster this season? Would it be prudent to insert a rookie without any NFL game experience as the starter to fill out this year’s schedule?
Plus, after the Giants loss, if Brissett continues to play that poorly, isn’t it possible that Minshew could be moved into the starting position? Isn’t that more valuable than a fifth-round draft pick.
One thing is for certain: at some point, the Cardinals will need to play Beck during a string of games to find out what they have before next year’s NFL Draft.
Another thing: the Cardinals have zero obligation to help another NFL team with their quarterback issues. So why ship off the only other experienced signalcaller for a hot dog and a bag of chips?
