Arizona

Cardinals

That assumes the Cardinals remain in the three spot on Thursday night. The team has reportedly tried for weeks to deal the pick and had no luck finding viable suitors, thanks in part to the weakness of the 2026 draft class. Love, who had 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns in his final season at Notre Dame, has been linked to several teams, including Arizona, Tennessee, Washington, and the Giants, all of whom have premium first round picks. Love would enter a backfield alongside veteran James Conner and big-bodied RB Tyler Allgeier, who signed with the Cards this offseason after four years with the Falcons. Though Love would function as the team’s lead back, Allgeier and Conner would certainly be involved in the team’s rushing attack in 2026.

“The noise across the league is getting impossible to ignore,” Jones writes in putting Simpson on the Cardinals in a trade-up at the end of the first round. Arizona’s current quarterback situation of a holding-out Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, and Kedon Slovis could desperately use a new, younger direction. We’re not sure that Simpson really is that direction, but one thing we can say about him is that he’s definitely available to draft right now, unlike all those better quarterbacks that are certainly coming in 2027.

ESPN’s Draft Day Predictor model gives Simpson a 43 percent chance of going in the first round of the draft, which kicks off on Thursday night. “If the Alabama quarterback were to be selected Thursday, the most likely spots are at Nos. 16 (currently the Jets), 21 (Steelers) and 24 (Browns), though he could go at any pick as the result of a trade,” Walder said. The steam behind Simpson has faded a bit since he rocketed up draft boards in March as the only NFL-viable QB in the 2026 draft class outside Fernando Mendoza, who will be drafted first overall by the Raiders. If Simpson slips into the second round, Walder expects the Cardinals and Jets to strongly consider him. Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has already named Geno Smith the team’s Week 1 starter.

According to Schefter, the Cardinals would like to deal their No. 3 pick in exchange for more draft picks. There’s some hope that a team would be interested in moving up to the 1.03 round to take Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, who is widely regarded as the best player in the draft and a lock to go in the top-10. Schefter writes in his most recent article that Love going to the Commanders at No. 7 overall “would seem to be his floor.” After going 3-14 last season and releasing Kyler Murray earlier this offseason, the Cardinals are in rebuild mode. They currently hold just seven draft picks, but with multiple positions to address and a potentially strong 2027 QB class incoming, it’s no surprise they want to acquire extra picks as they look to build a contender.

In a video report from earlier today, Venerable outlined a potential trade in which the Saints acquire the No. 3 overall pick from the Cardinals in exchange for the Nos. 8, 42 and 73 overall picks. He notes “no 2027 draft capital is exchanged with New Orleans,” and told viewers, “I think that’s the preference for these teams — in fact, I know it.” Per Venerable, the Cardinals “are looking to do their damage” in the draft this year, rather than next year. It sounds like Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort needs to leave the draft with meaningful personnel upgrades. Venerable notes that the Cardinals recently hosted Miami OT Francis Mauigoa (back) for a top-30 visit. He would be in play for them in this scenario. Yesterday, Venerable reported that the Cardinals have discussed a potential trade back with the Chiefs as well. He believes both the Saints and Chiefs are targeting either Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey or Ohio State LB Arvell Reese.

The Chiefs would be targeting the top available pass rusher in a trade up, while the Cardinals will again look to accumulate more picks for their rebuild in a trade down. Several teams have been rumored to be looking to trade down, so it’s possible the return is more underwhelming than it would normally be. The Cardinals would be able to slide to the back end of the main tier of prospects in a trade down, and given that they feel like they have the murkiest roster in the NFL at the moment, trading down makes a lot of sense if they don’t have true conviction in any of these players becoming a star.

Brissett has one year remaining on his current deal. The 33-year-old vet is set to earn $9.06 million next season, but only $1.5 million of that is guaranteed. Brissett, who threw for 3,366-23-8 last season, is expected to start next season as the Cardinals’ QB1, although it’s worth noting that his decision to hold out for a new deal comes just a day after GM Monti Ossenfort said the team was “not really naming anybody” as their starter this early in the offseason. It goes without saying that Brissett is not the long-term solution for the Cardinals at quarterback, but he could serve as a solid bridge to a potential rookie, should the team look to add another signal-caller in next week’s draft. In addition to Brissett, the Cardinals also have Gardner Minshew under contract after signing him earlier this offseason.

Rapoport said he would be “surprised” if the Cardinals drafted a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick. He also notes that Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has a working relationship with Texans general manager Nick Caserio. The Texans currently hold the 28th overall pick. Swapping No. 34-plus for No. 28 would allow the Cardinals to get in front of the quarterback-needy Jets, who are slated to pick at the top of the second round, with pick No. 33. Rapoport also believes that if both the Cardinals and Jets pass on Simpson in this range, he may be waiting to be drafted for quite a while.

This doesn’t tell us a whole lot. Readers might recall that the 2026 NFL Draft is next week, and the Cardinals hosted Alabama QB Ty Simpson for a top-30 visit yesterday. If the Cardinals do not draft a rookie quarterback, Jacoby Brissett will likely be the default starter, with only Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis joining him on the roster at this time. If that is the case, the pass catchers likely stand to benefit. Brissett was able to distribute the ball effectively last year. Rolling with a developmental rookie could hurt the receiving outlooks for TE Trey McBride, WR Michael Wilson and WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Schultz adds that if the Cardinals were to keep the pick, their preferred player remains “the biggest mystery” among teams slated to pick in the top five. They have been linked to Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love and recently hosted Alabama QB Ty Simpson for a top-30 visit. Pass rushers like Ohio State LB Arvell Reese and Texas Tech EDGE David Bailey are also in play. If Simpson is the target, trading back a bit while ideally adding a future first-round pick could be their plan.