Cardinals’ $15.5 Million QB Deal Comes With Surprising Trade Revelation
· Yahoo Sports
The Arizona Cardinals trade that will send quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Ravens comes with one striking revelation.
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On Wednesday, prior to the Cardinals agreeing to trade Brissett to Baltimore, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote:
“Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett signed his reworked contract in August [sic] while knowing a midseason trade was at least a possibility. The plan was Brissett would take Arizona as far as he could, and with the team’s roster still in a transitional state, a benching or a pivot to trade candidacy was always going to be on the table.”
The contract, which was signed in July, gave Brissett the pay raise he was looking for. But it was only a one-year contract that better resembled a bridge deal for a rebuilding football team.
The Cardinals never looked like they were in a position to seriously contend in 2026. They added a backup and potential bridge quarterback in Gardner Minshew, who had been a starter in the league. Arizona drafted an upstart rookie in Carson Beck. Both Minshew and Beck coming to town showed that the Cardinals had flexibility.
Factor in the short length of the contract, and it carried all the signs that the Brissett era in Arizona would be short-lived.
Potential For A Midseason Trade Involving Jacoby Brissett Made Sense
Brissett has been a journeyman in the NFL and has taken on similar roles with other franchises throughout his 11-year career. It made sense for a quarterback-needy team like the Ravens to seek Brissett. But it also made sense for the Cardinals to discard the more expensive bridge quarterback.
It will also let them see what they have in rookie Carson Beck when they feel he is ready to start in an NFL game. That will likely occur if the Cardinals find themselves out of contention and start looking toward what they have for 2027.
The trade allows both the Cardinals and Ravens to win out at least in the short term. Arizona still has Minshew to keep things operational. Meanwhile, Brissett will have more talent around him in Baltimore to try to help the Ravens salvage their season.
Cardinals Needed Just Eight Starts to Move On From Brissett
Brissett got off to a hot start along with the rest of the Cardinals in Week 1’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Brissett went 27-for-37 in that game, for 277 yards, a touchdown pass, and a 103.1 quarterback rating.
That was the high-water mark for Brissett. His best performance since Week 1 came in Week 3 when he went 38-for-52 with 280 yards, two touchdowns, and a 98.2 quarterback rating in a near comeback win against the San Francisco 49ers.
His best performances most of the time came late in the second half of games that were all but decided. Brissett started two other games that the Cardinals won — Week 6 over the Los Angeles Rams and Week 8 over the Dallas Cowboys.
Brissett never led the Cardinals on a single touchdown drive in Arizona’s win over the Rams. On Sunday, he was credited with the win. But Minshew, Tyler Allgeier, and the Cardinals’ defensive stands were the reasons Arizona won.
Overall, the Brissett era represented a bridge from one era to another for the Arizona Cardinals. That was the basis of what Fowler wrote. And this week, the Cardinals saw it through by sending Brissett to Baltimore.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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