It’s a new dawn for the Arizona Cardinals as the organization is embarking on a new era after firing head coach Jonathan Gannon and cutting quarterback Kyler Murray earlier this offseason. They’ve since replaced Gannon with former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. As for who’ll replace Murray under center, that answer isn’t as clear. And it just got a bit more muddled. 

If you look at the current depth chart, Jacoby Brissett currently slots in as their top signal-caller after starting 12 games for the franchise in 2025. However, the momentary QB1 is currently MIA. Brissett is not attending Phase 1 of the offseason program as he’s asking for an extension that pays him as the starter, according to NFL Media. 

The veteran is playing on a two-year, $12.5 million contract he signed back in March 2025. For 2026, Brissett is slated to have a cap hit of $9.19 million, a base salary of $4.88 million, and just $1.5 million in guaranteed salary, according to Over the Cap. At the time of signing his current deal, he was set to come aboard as a top-tier backup to Murray, and he eventually found his way into the starting role after Murray went down with an injury. 

As Arizona’s starter, Brissett played well despite the team’s 1-11 record with him at the helm. He completed 64.9% of his throws, averaged a career-high 240.4 passing yards per game, and had 23 passing touchdowns to just eight interceptions for a 94.1 passer rating. 

With Murray released and now off as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Brissett momentarily has the inside track to start Week 1 over Gardner Minshew II (recovering from a left knee injury) and former undrafted free agent Kedon Slovis. 

However, things could change sooner rather than later with the 2026 NFL Draft looming.

Brissett could lose leverage because of Ty Simpson

At the moment, it would appear as if Brissett holds the majority of the cards as he seeks a new contract. After all, the bulk of the free agent quarterbacks have already found homes, so there is no threat of a veteran coming and possibly scooping up his job. The same, however, cannot be said for the NFL Draft, and that’s where Brissett could find himself vulnerable in his pursuit of starting-caliber money.

We’re less than a week away from the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft kicking off, and the Cardinals are seemingly hot on the trail of securing a young quarterback. There is no clear-cut option for the franchise at No. 3 overall. But, if they were to either move down from No. 3 or (more likely) trade up into the back half of Round 1 using their 34th pick in the second round, they’d suddenly be in range to take Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, the consensus QB2 behind Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

Comparing Ty Simpson to Fernando Mendoza convinced me he’ll be drafted higher than people think

Mike Renner

Arizona hosted Simpson on a visit earlier this week, and the Crimson Tide signal-caller has been gaining steam throughout the pre-draft process as a first-round pick. For instance, DraftKings Sportsbook has Simpson favored to come off the board in the first round at -145. 

If it’s the Cardinals that select him, Brissett not only loses leverage in contract talks with an up-and-coming QB now beside him on the roster, but he also finds himself in a looming quarterback battle later this summer.