Arizona

Cardinals

This contradicts reports from last week that the Cardinals had received calls from potential suitors for Sweat as the veteran remains unsatisfied with his current contract situation. Sweat, who last season signed a four-year, $76.4 million deal with Arizona, racked up a dozen sacks and 17 quarterback hits last season for the bottom-dwelling Cards defense. It looks like, for now, Sweat will remain with the Cardinals. Arizona ranked 28th in QB pressure rate last season.

Benson, 23, suffered a knee injury in Week 4 last year. He was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery in-season. Although he resumed practicing, the team never activated him from injured reserve. Unfortunately, Benson appears to be buried on the depth chart behind RBs Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier and James Conner (ankle) right now. Benson is under contract with the Cardinals through 2027.

LaFleur is a Sean McVay understudy, having spent the last three seasons serving as the Rams’ offensive coordinator. He worked with Adams for one year. Harrison (6'3/220) is a natural fit for the X-receiver role in any system, but he has been nowhere near as efficient as Adams was last season, so we can’t simply take this one to the bank. At this point, we’ll settle for reliable fantasy WR3 production. All that said, if LaFleur is saying he plans to feature Harrison in the red zone, akin to the way Adams was used in Los Angeles, we suppose a ceiling outcome could be in play for the Cardinals’ 23-year-old receiver. We’re keeping an eye on Harrison’s development this summer.

Conner suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 3 last year. Earlier this offseason, he agreed to a revised contract that pays him $2.35 million this year. The Cardinals signed RB Tyler Allgeier to a two-year, $12.25 million deal one day later, before spending the No. 3 overall pick on former Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love. If Conner can resume practicing soon, it might increase the odds of a running back-needy team acquiring him via trade.

LaFleur spent the last three seasons as Nacua’s offensive coordinator with the Rams. Taking on the Z-receiver role means that Wilson, 26, will have an easier time getting free releases because he gets to lineup off of the line of scrimmage. It’s great news, both for fantasy purposes and for Wilson, who is currently hoping for a contract extension. Wilson will also likely get opportunities to run routes from the slot. Wilson broke out in 2025, posting a 78/1,006/7 receiving line. Given the Cardinals’ unsettled quarterback situation, Wilson might prudently be viewed as a reliable FLEX option, but jumping up a tier or two is possible, depending on how the target pecking order shakes out between him, TE Trey McBride and WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Brissett is absent from the voluntary offseason program in search of a revised contract. He is only guaranteed $1.5 milion this year and can make at most $5.4 million. While Brissett isn’t anyone’s idea of a long-term starter, he is criminally underpaid even as a bridge option. LaFleur wasn’t worried about his absence, saying, “The hardest thing to teach a player is the speed of the game, an NFL game, in general. He’s played a lot of ball, so he’ll be just fine.” If this holdout turns into a hold-in during training camp, it could become a bigger issue. We don’t expect things to get that far. In the meantime, Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck will get some extra reps at OTAs.

That would seem to make logical sense considering Sweat followed Jonathan Gannon to Arizona and has been linked to reports indicating he in unhappy with his situation following the firing of his former head coach. Nothing substantial has been passed from a reputable source but this goes down as another notch towards a potential trade for the veteran pass rusher. Sweat’s contract could be a tricky one to unload after signing a four-year, $76.4 million deal with the Cardinals prior to the 2025 season.

Brissett has one year left on his deal, which includes $1.5 million in guarantees. He can make up to $5.39 million. Fellow Cardinals QB Gardner Minshew signed a one-year deal with the team this offseason that netted him $5.14 million in guarantees. The front office also invested a third-round pick in rookie QB Carson Beck. It’s easy to see why Brissett is seeking increased financial security, but he may not have the leverage required to attain it. It is unknown whether Brissett will attend next week’s voluntary organized team activities. A mandatory minicamp for veterans and rookies is scheduled to take place June 8-10. Things could become even more contentious if he refuses to attend the mandatory events. Hopefully, the dispute will be resolved soon. Brissett, 33, showed last year that he has the ability to distribute the ball in a fantasy-friendly manner for Cardinals pass catchers.

Odegard corroborates a report by Arizona sports radio host John Gambadoro that Sweat’s absence from Cardinals OTAs is not injury-related. The 29-year-old pass rusher signed a four-year, $76.4 million contract with Arizona last offseason and will enter the second year of this deal in 2026. Sweat tallied a career-high 12.0 sacks in 17 games for the Cardinals last season, adding four forced fumbles. With edge rushers seemingly re-setting the market with every new contract, Sweat is now outside the top-20 EDGE contracts in average annual salary. It is unclear if Sweat’s absence is fully due to a contract dispute or if there are other factors involved, but the veteran edge rusher is absent from Cardinals organized team activities for now.

It’s worth reminding folks that these are voluntary activities, meaning Brissett can avoid them without any repercussions. That said, it was reported last week that the team informed Brissett that he would be the starting quarterback this season, so his presence is somewhat vital. Brissett staying away from the team’s facilities is nothing new. The 33-year-old signal-caller is reportedly seeking a pay raise for this upcoming season, as he’s due to make $4.88 million in base salary in 2026, which puts him near the bottom of the league among current starters. Brissett threw for 3,366-23-8 in 14 games for the Cardinals last season while completing 64.9 percent of his passes. Playing on a team that’s in the middle of a rebuild, it seems unlikely that Brissett will remain the starter through the duration of the season, but it’s clear the career backup is hoping to make the most of his situation. Assuming he doesn’t report to OTAs, the next date to watch will be June 8th, when the Cardinals are scheduled to hold their first day of mandatory minicamp.