The Arizona Cardinals and Jacoby Brissett agreed to a new contract. Brissett, now firmly sitting as the starting quarterback in 2026, gets the raise he desired all offseason.
It is reportedly a $15.5 million deal for 2026, and he can make as much as $21 million.
That pays him in line with a low-end starter, which he has been for his career.
The deal is both great and questionable.
Why the Jacoby Brissett deal is a good thing
First and foremost, this is huge for him. It is the most money he will earn in a season in his career. He played the position well for the Cardinals in 2025, and if he was to be the Cardinals' unquestioned starting quarterback, he deserves more money.
Players getting paid is always great. They put their bodies on the line and are the ones fans watch.
And with this new deal,
there should be no question about who is the starting quarterback. Brissett is the guy. Gardner Minshew is definitely the backup, and Carson Beck is definitely the developmental young guy.
It shows that the Cardinals are willing to play ball and be fair with players in a new and unexpected role. He was in a different role than the contract he signed. So on one hand, good job, Cardinals.
Why the Brissett contract is questionable
For the Cardinals, this deal doesn't really make sense. First of all, they are already paying Kyler Murray over $33 million to not be with them. Now, Brissett gets more than $15 million and Minshew is making more than $5.6 million. That is more than $50 million for quarterbacks this season.
This isn't a big deal when it is a good team and they have a great quarterback, but the Cardinals are projected to be the worst team in the league.
Brissett went 1-11 last season. He is 2-15 in his last 17 starts over the last two seasons and is 20-45 as a starter in his career. To make matters worse, the Cardinals are underdogs in every game this season and are at least a touchdown underdog in their first 10 games of the year.
Brissett is now getting paid like a guy who wouldn't get benched. How many teams would continue to start a 33-year-old journeyman quarterback after an 0-5 or a 1-6 start?
They have a young quarterback in Carson Beck who would be a logical starter if things get bad.
So are the Cardinals paying a guy over $15 million only to get benched midseason?
That's the part that doesn't make sense. They are expected to be bad, no matter who is the quarterback. They are just paying a guy to pay him.
From a player standpoint, that is great. From a team standpoint, it seems like the most Cardinals thing that they could do.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Jacoby Brissett contract: Why it is both great and questionable
