The NFL’s in-house arbitration process isn’t dead, but it’s on the verge of a TKO.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the NFL’s petition for appeal in the Brian Flores case.
From the 25-page document submitted by the league in January 2026, this is the question the NFL presented to the U.S. Supreme Court: “Whether an arbitration agreement governing disputes in a professional sports league is categorically unenforceable under the Federal Arbitration Act because it designates the league commissioner as the default arbitrator and permits the commissioner to develop arbitral procedures.”
The league wisely made the question narrow, in order to avoid the possibility that the league’s arbitration process would be taken to its logical extreme. If the NFL can make the Commissioner the default arbitrator for any employment disputes or other legal claims made by employees, every American corporation could make the CEO the default arbitrator for any employment disputes or other legal claims made against it by its employee.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit had found that the NFL’s arbitration agreement was not enforceable due to the Commissioner’s power over the process. The decision not to take the appeal doesn’t operate as an agreement by the Supreme Court; however, if the Supreme Court wanted to endorse the league’s longstanding in-house process, it could have taken up the case and then reversed the outcome.
The current legal posture doesn’t prevent the NFL from arguing its position in cases that arise in other courts. However, there’s now a clear path to suing the NFL and avoiding the mandatory arbitration clauses in non-player employment contracts by suing the NFL in New York federal court — since the Southern District of New York falls within the Second Circuit.
As to Flores, the development means that his claims against the NFL, Dolphins, Broncos, Giants, and Texans (and the claims made by Steve Wilks against the Cardinals and Ray Horton against the Titans) will be resolved by the judicial process. With full discovery. And, absent a settlement or a successful motion for summary judgment, with a trial in open court. All facts will be introduced and developed and exposed to public scrutiny.
That could spark a settlement, sooner than later. The league uses arbitration due in part to its desire to keep its business secret. Unless it goes away, the Flores case could result in all sorts of things the NFL would rather us not know playing out in the public eye.
Jacoby Brissett has not attended any of the Cardinals’ voluntary offseason program as he waits for a reworked contract for this season.
Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports that Brissett and the Cardinals are “significantly” far apart in negotiations.
The quarterback is entering the second year of a two-year deal he signed in March 2025. He is scheduled to make $4.88 million in 2026, with a max value of $5.39 million, but only $1.5 million is guaranteed. Gardner Minshew, who was signed as a free agent in March, has $5.14 million guaranteed for this season.
Earlier this offseason, Weinfuss reported that the Cardinals informed Brissett he was their starting quarterback. But the Cardinals have a new head coach and a new offense, and it’s unclear to what extent Brissett’s absence will hurt him in the competition for the starting job.
Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur downplayed Brissett’s absence earlier this week, saying that Brissett has “done probably everything we’ve ever done schematically.”
Arizona will hold a mandatory minicamp on June 8-10, which will cost Brissett a fine of $107,911 if he misses all three days.
Brissett started 12 games for the Cardinals last season, completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 3,366 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Cardinals went 1-11 in his starts.
Michael Wilson caught 85 passes for 1,113 yards and seven touchdowns over his first two seasons. The Cardinals wide receiver had 78 receptions for 1,006 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
It’s how he got there that makes becoming one of only 19 pass catches with 1,000 yards even more impressive.
Through the first five games, Wilson had eight catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Jacoby Brissett replaced Kyler Murray in Week 6, and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Zay Jones went out with injuries in Week 11.
Wilson’s 593 routes for the season were the third-most in the NFL.
“If myself from February could have went back to myself in October and said, like, ‘Hey, man, you’re going to have a thousand,’” Wilson said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, “I probably would have been like, ‘Jesus Christ. I don’t know what would have happened for me to get a thousand, but some pretty cool stuff would have had to happen.’
“And, so, yeah, I’m still proud of myself for that.”
Wilson is eligible for a contract extension, but he said it’s business as usual.
“I don’t want that to affect how I show up every single day because ultimately that stuff is going to take care of itself,” Wilson said. “What I did last year, I can’t change. Like, that’s my resume, that’s what we’re going off of.
“But as soon as Week 1 starts and we’re playing against [the] L.A. Chargers, contract stuff, that stuff doesn’t matter. What I did last year doesn’t matter. I need to make sure I’m taking care of what I can now, tomorrow, the next day after that. That’s going to help me sort of replicate that season and build upon that.”
Will Johnson won a national title and made All-America teams while wearing No. 2 at Michigan, but it wasn’t available when he joined the Cardinals as a second-round pick in 2025.
Johnson wore No. 0 as a rookie, but he’s back in his old number for his second season because linebacker Mack Wilson opted to switch to No. 1. After the team’s first OTA on Monday, Johnson said the switch made a significant difference in his mind.
“It means a lot,” Johnson said, via the team’s website. “It just feels right. I feel real comfortable in it so I’m glad I was able to get that back.”
Johnson was available in the second round because of injuries that kept him off the field too often in his final college season and a hamstring injury hampered his preparations for his rookie season, but better health is another reason why Johnson feels he’s on an upswing this time around.
“It’s a whole different feeling going into this year versus last year,” Johnson said. “Last year, coming in with all the draft stuff and combine, and I was injured coming in, so that versus having some experience and feeling comfortable in the defense is a whole different feeling. It feels really good this year.”
The Cardinals opted for defensive continuity by retaining defensive coordinator Nick Rallis under new head coach Mike LaFleur. A strong year for Johnson would help make that decision pay off in Arizona.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur didn’t have much to add about where things stand with quarterback Jacoby Brissett at a Monday press conference.
Brissett skipped the first two phases of the team’s voluntary work this spring as he looks for an adjustment to his contract and he remained away as they began organized team activities on Monday. LaFleur downplayed the impact of Brissett’s absence earlier this month by noting that the veteran has “played a lot of football” and would be able to pick up what the team is doing.
LaFleur did the same on Monday by saying that Brissett has “done probably everything we’ve ever done schematically.” He said everything else is status quo from where it was the last time he discussed Brissett’s absence.
“It’s the same as where we were a few weeks ago. . . . We’ve had contact, I’ll leave it at that,” LaFleur said.
LaFleur said he would be more concerned with a younger player missing time. Third-round pick Carson Beck would fall into that category, but he is seeing plenty of action along with Gardner Minshew while Brissett is away from the team.
