Cardinals rule out Beck (rib) for preseason Week 1

LaFleur said Beck would have been well enough to throw if it were seven-on-seven drills, adding that the team “didn’t want to risk it” when it came to starting the rookie in Thursday’s preseason game. Beck already has some preseason experience under his belt. He threw for 188 yards and a touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game last week against the Panthers and will hopefully have a chance to suit up in next week’s preseason game against the Cowboys on Saturday.

Beck played two-plus quarters. No offense to the Hall-of-Fame Game, but it’s not a contest we typically go into expecting highlights. The Cardinals’ No. 3 quarterback provided several of them, hitting Jalen Brooks for a 49-yard deep strike and Simi Fehoko for a five-yard end zone fade touchdown. In between were several smart in-rhythm completions, with Beck navigating the pocket well. 24-year-old Beck’s arm strength remains a massive question mark — even his Brooks completion drifted a bit toward the middle of the field — but his processing was on point against the Panthers’ second- and third-team defense. Although he was a highly polarizing pre-draft prospect, the fact that the rebuilding Cardinals were willing to use a Day 2 selection strongly suggests he will make late-season starts as the organization keeps an eye on the future.

It will be our first glimpse of Beck in an NFL uniform. Given the draft cost they paid for Beck, the 65th overall pick, it would behoove the Cardinals for him to be clearly better than everyone else out on the field Thursday and establish some sort of momentum to eventually get a starting role by the end of the season. We’ll see.

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 first pick of the third round, Beck’s deal is worth roughly $7.4 million over four years. Jacoby Brissett is also gunning for a new contract, though he is looking for a raise on his current salary and more guarantees. Brissett is penciled in as the Week 1 starter and is not even a highly paid backup. The two sides should come to an agreement soon, though the deal won’t guarantee Brissett a full season as the starter. If things don’t go well for Arizona this year, they will almost certainly take a look at Beck near the end of the season.

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.