Beat expects Jacoby Brissett to start in Week 1

Brissett outperformed Justin Herbert in every statistical category in what proved to be an easy victory for the underdog Cardinals. Brissett continued attacking downfield in this one, connecting with Marvin Harrison, Jr. for a 33-yard gain and Trey McBride for a 28-yarder. Brissett narrowly missed Michael Wilson on a couple first half deep shots. Arizona took its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter with the Chargers offense clearly out of answers and unable to move the ball with Ladd McConkey (chest) sidelined. Brissett’s aggressive style and his highly talented group of pass catchers should make him viable as a streaming option in Week 2 against the Seahawks.

Fowler notes that the Cardinals likely want to see what they have in Carson Beck before the season ends. Of course, if the Cardinals are winning games, they will stick with what is working. Brissett put up strong counting stats last year, throwing for 281 yards per game across his 12 starts. That, however, did not result in any success for the Cardinals, who went 1-11 with Brissett under center. A similar season would make the veteran a viable backup or injury fill-in at that trade deadline.

This is unfortunate. Beck looked great before injuring his ribs in the Hall of Fame game. Per Urban, Beck has been a very limited participant in practice ever since, which is costing him valuable reps. Only starting QB Jacoby Brissett will take first-team practice reps once the regular season begins. Beck practiced the week after the injury, “struggling much of the time,” and has sat out since then. The Cardinals have an extremely difficult schedule, so a rough record could bring Beck back onto the field at some point this year. Ideally, he would have spent all of August refining his play, though. He does not need to be rostered in 12-team re-draft leagues.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Beck suffered a rib injury in the Cardinals’ Hall of Fame game against the Panthers. Despite feeling “soreness,” he managed to practice this week. The Cardinals “decided to keep him out tonight as a precaution and to allow more time to heal.” This pours a little cold water on Beck’s moderate hype, but the reporting suggests that the injury is not overly concerning. Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett will start, and presumably be relieved by QB Kedon Slovis at some point. No word yet on QB Gardner Minshew’s potential involvement tonight.

Brissett was scheduled to make up to $4.88 this year, in the final year of his old deal. His new contract increases his compensation for this season, but he is still scheduled to hit free agency next offseason. The new deal includes a $15.5 million base salary. He can make up to $21 million via incentives. Things can always change in-season, but this appears to be clear-cut starter money — and it’s good news for Cardinals pass catchers. Although the Cardinals struggled to win games with Brissett under center last year, he was a very productive passer. Theoretically, he should be able to support TE Trey McBride and likely one of WR Marvin Harrison Jr. or WR Michael Wilson reliably. Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur confirmed that the plan is for Brissett to start in Week 1 against the Chargers.

Brissett reported to training camp and was practicing with the team on Thursday. Brissett is entering this season as the Cardinals’ QB1 but is currently set to play out the season on the final year of a two-year, $12.5 million contract he signed last season when he was backing up Kyler Murray. Brissett is reportedly seeking a pay raise for this season rather than an extension, and it sounds like a deal will eventually be reached by the two sides before the start of the season. Brissett was fourth in Thursday’s practice rotation, but that will change as he continues to get up to speed with the team after missing OTAs and minicamp.

Great news. Wins were tough to come by for Brissett last year, but passing productivity wasn’t. During his Weeks 6-18 starting stretch, Brissett totaled top-four passing yards (3,366) and passing touchdowns (23) sums, while also tying for the eighth-most interceptions (eight). Brissett and the team are reportedly negotiating a pay bump for 2026. Getting him on the field is good news for Cardinals pass catchers.

Brissett and the Cardinals have had discussions on a new contract that will pay him like a starter. The 33-year-old was Arizona’s starting quarterback for the back half of last season and he now wants a pay bump from his $1.5 million in guarantees this season. The two sides have yet to reach a deal and Brissett still very much desires the new deal despite him reporting to training camp. It’s possible he will be a camp “hold-in” until the Cardinals get him the desired contract.

The Cardinals are slated to enter the season with Brissett as the starter, but Brissett’s contract calls for just $1.5 million in guarantees this season. The 33-year-old desires a starter-level contract and could be a candidate for a hold-in. Rapoport reports the team agrees that Brissett deserves a pay bump and the two sides have been negotiating “for months”, though a deal has not yet been reached.

In other words: Brissett isn’t necessarily gunning for an extension, but he definitely wants to be paid like a starting quarterback if he’s going to start. Brissett’s contract calls for just $1.5 million in guarantees in 2026. It feels like the Cardinals could make this headache go away pretty easily if they wanted to based on this report — it’s not like Brissett is asking for future money, and the Cardinals have $35 million in cap space. But if they did that, they wouldn’t be the Arizona Cardinals.