Jacoby

Brissett

Pair this with a recent report from Weinfuss that Kyler Murray hadn’t talked to GM Monti Ossenfort all offseason and we’re wondering if the Cardinals actually have paid the phone bill this month. Brissett has been mentioned as a possible Jets starter this year, but that avenue appears to have closed down with Geno Smith headed to New Jersey. We’re not sure what other teams could possibly emerge as Brissett suitors, but we’re sure it will happen as weirdly as possible.

Uncle Rico lands on his feet in Arizona with a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job with incumbent Jacoby Brissett during camp and preseason. The $8.25 million contract is far from “starter money,” but is still more than the average annual value of Brissett, making it likely the franchise is headed for a positional battle this offseason in the wake of Kyler Murray’s departure. At bare minimum, Minshew has proven to be a capable backup at the NFL level, having notched 47 starts across 63 appearances during his seven-year NFL career.

Cimini continues: “they appear willing to chalk up last season to a dysfunctional situation in Las Vegas.” Cimini’s overview of the Jets quarterback situation hits all the notes we’ve been on in the blurb streets over the past month: Carson Wentz is viewed as the most likely preference of the free agents, Kyler Murray should have better options, and Jacoby Brissett has ties to both Frank Reich and Aaron Glenn while his availability via trade isn’t easily sussed out. But this is yet another Jets beat who believes Smith and the Jets could be on a course for a reunion.

Rosenblatt concludes that Smith’s availability and his lack of cost given his ability to play on an offset contract that should see him making the minimum will be pluses for the Jets. Smith, who was finally given walking papers earlier today, still has fans around the league and could be a reasonable one-year stopgap for the Jets. Brissett is seen as less likely by Rosenblatt because he has heard conflicting things about what Brissett might cost — we just blurbed about the Cardinals being unlikely to deal him, while Rosenblatt has heard they might move on for a high-end Day 3 pick. The idea of a Geno Smith-Jets reunion in 2026. What a wonderful world we live in.

Perhaps this will change if and when a Malik Willis signing hits, but for now the Cardinals haven’t shown much interest in moving on from their veteran signal caller. Brissett went 1-11 as a starter last season, but adeptly blossomed in the desert with a 23-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and also nearly threw for 3,500 yards in just 12 starts. We’re a little surprised there hasn’t been more interest in him from non-Jets teams this offseason.

The league’s most popular bridge quarterback could be available again if the Cardinals opt to bring in Jimmy Garoppolo, new HC Mike LaFleur’s bestie. Jets OC Frank Reich coached Brissett in Indianapolis, and Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski coached Brissett with the Browns. He’d be an interesting fit in both places, though his fantasy stock will likely take a tumble from the pass-first-and-eternally-trail 2025 Cardinals.

New Jets OC Frank Reich “has a close relationship with Eagles coach Nick Sirianni” and McKee “fits the physical mold of a Reich QB” per Rosenblatt. Rosenblatt also links the Jets to Geno Smith (if released), Jacoby Brissett and Kirk Cousins. McKee would be an interesting trade target after a couple of spot starts in Week 18 the past few years. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2026 and would probably cost the Jets at least a Day 2 pick, but it would undoubtedly be a higher-upside play than relying on Smith or Cousins.

Brissett checks the boxes of “has worked for Frank Reich before” and “is a functional NFL quarterback.” The real question is: Why would the Cardinals give him up? He averaged 240.4 yards per start and threw 23 touchdowns in just 12 starts. Arizona has reportedly been more interested in moving on from Murray than Brissett, who GM Monti Ossenfort drafted in New England and made a priority to sign last offseason. We’d be surprised if the Jets could do this without getting fleeced by Arizona.

Brissett opened the season as the backup to Kyler Murray. Entering his second year in OC Drew Petzing’s offense, Murray was supposed to take the next step. Instead, he regressed even further before a foot injury opened the door for Brissett in Week 6. Brissett threw for at least 250 yards — a mark Murray failed to hit once this year — in seven straight games. He also tossed multiple touchdowns in five straight contests. Murray did so twice in five appearances. Though the team blamed Murray’s foot injury for him missing the second half of the year, Jonathan Gannon said Brissett earned the starting role regardless of Murray’s health. Brissett propelled Trey McBride to the receptions record for a tight end and fostered a breakout season from Michael Wilson. For all of his counting stats, the wins never came. Brissett went 1-11 as a starter, proving that he was doing more for fantasy managers than he was for the team itself. Murray will likely be gone in 2026, meaning the Cardinals are back to the drawing board at quarterback. With one more year on his contract, Brissett will, at worst, enter next year competing for the starting job. How many starts he gets in 2026 will depend on how much Arizona spends at quarterback.

The “Brissett Experience” has finally been sputtering out a bit in recent weeks, but the fantasy folk hero still understood the assignment until the very end this afternoon, tossing an 18-yard touchdown to Trey McBride with the Cardinals down 37-7 with 1:50 remaining. Not all heroes wear capes. Having one of the most convincing “Flacco campaigns” in some time, Brissett has maybe worked his way into bridge status for someone in 2026. It could even be Arizona if they select a new signal caller to replace Kyler Murray. Brissett gets one final chance to put something on film against the Rams’ burnable secondary in Week 18, though the sides’ first matchup was a lopsided L.A. victory four weeks ago.