Cardinals Have Answer At QB Amid Jacoby Brissett Contract Dispute
The Arizona Cardinals have a question mark at quarterback even after Jacoby Brissett ended his holdout.
Arizona released former first overall pick Kyler Murray this offseason after he lost the starting job to Brissett last season. Brissett was expected to be the Cardinals' starting quarterback, even though Arizona used a Day 2 pick on Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck.
However, as Brissett was expected to be the starting quarterback, he wasn't at voluntary OTAs due to a contract dispute. Brissett is only set to earn $4.88 million this year, with just $1.5 million of that guaranteed. If he reached all his incentives, the most he can make is $7.39 million, which is why he held out.
Yet, as mandatory minicamp begins, Brissett is set to return to camp, but the Cardinals should take a look at Beck. Brissett has shown throughout his career that he's more of a backup-level quarterback, so ahead of a stacked 2027 NFL Draft quarterback class, Arizona has to figure out what they have with Beck.
Beck led Miami to the National Championship Game and showed flashes of being a star quarterback in the NFL at college. Yet, there are plenty of question marks around him and his skill, which is why the Cardinals need to give him as many game reps as possible.
Although Brissett is expected to be the Week 1 starter, Cardinals general manager Mike Ossenfort isn't ruling out that Beck starts games for Arizona this season.
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"We have two guys who have played and started a lot of games in the NFL in Jacoby and Gardner, and that's going to be a great competition," Ossenfort said on SiriusXM NFL radio on April 29. "We'll bring (Carson) in and see how much he can handle, and we'll see how that competition plays out in the room. In the end, the guy who is going to give us the best chance to win, that's who is going to be out there on Sundays."
If Beck can pick up the playbook quickly and perform well in training camp, he could very well unseat Brissett as the Cardinals' starting quarterback.
Why did Jacoby Brissett Hold Out?
Although Brissett is in line to be a starting quarterback in the NFL come Week 1, he decided to skip attending voluntary OTAs.
The key reason for Brissett holding out was money, as he wanted more money, especially if he is going to be the starter. ESPN's Josh Weinfuss reported on June 9 that Brissett wants more guaranteed money, and even though he will report to mandatory minicamp, that doesn't mean he will practice.
"The 33-year-old Brissett wants more guaranteed money for this season, a source has told ESPN, and Brissett stayed away from the team all offseason, until this week, waiting for a decision to be made one way or the other," Weinfuss wrote. "Brissett will attend this week's mandatory minicamp, sources told ESPN, meaning he'll be at the facility, in meetings and in the weight room. The question is whether he'll practice."
Whether or not the Cardinals will reach a new deal with Brissett before the start of the season is to be seen. But if Arizona doesn't, it leaves the door wide open for Beck to earn the starting job.
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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 10:33 AM.