Jacoby Brissett and the Arizona Cardinals remain far apart in contract talks as he prepares for the 2026 season as the expected starter. Negotiations have dragged on through months of discussion, while his voluntary offseason absence underscores how leverage—a
Jacoby Brissett’s next NFL contract year is approaching with a quiet, tense certainty: he’s expected to be Arizona’s primary starter in 2026, but the team and quarterback still aren’t close to agreeing on terms.
Months after negotiations began, Brissett and the Arizona Cardinals remain “significantly” far apart, according to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. The gap has played out not just in bargaining. but in attendance—Brissett has not been in attendance for Arizona’s voluntary offseason activities as he works to negotiate a new deal.
For the Cardinals, the stakes aren’t abstract. Brissett is entering the final season of a two-year. $12.5 million contract signed during the 2025 offseason. and that structure leaves Arizona with little flexibility—either to reset his salary upward. or to risk pushing past the point where a deal becomes harder to repair.
Brissett’s current deal is built like a compromise that’s running out of time. He is slated to make up to $5.44 million in cash and carry a $9.19 million cap hit for the upcoming campaign. per Spotrac.com. The agreement’s size also puts pressure on both sides: his average annual value is $6.25 million. which ranks just 31st among NFL quarterbacks and well below the average salary of starting quarterbacks on non-rookie deals.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, have reason to hesitate after a 2025 season that featured his most efficient stretch—but not the kind of results that typically trigger a major payday.
Brissett’s contract details show why money is central
Brissett’s contract is a two-year deal with a total value of $12.5 million and an average annual value of $6.25 million. It includes $8 million in guaranteed money, leaving the current year as a crucial moment for any renegotiation.
To this point, Brissett has logged just over $67.9 million in career earnings. His largest contract came from a two-year, $30 million extension he signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2019. Now. with this set to be his fourth opportunity to start in Week 1 across his 11 NFL seasons. he’s staring at a narrow window to top that number if a rework is possible.
What Brissett did in 2025 adds fuel to his case
Brissett’s push for a better deal isn’t coming only from expectations—it’s tied to the way he performed when Arizona needed him.
In 2025, Brissett served as the Cardinals’ primary starter after Kyler Murray suffered a foot injury that proved to be season-ending. Over 12 starts, Brissett completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,366 yards, threw 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, and finished with a 1-11 record.
His passing efficiency, however, was stronger than his résumé’s winning seasons. His 94.1 passer rating was his best-ever in seven seasons in which he made at least one start. He also earned a career-high with 23 passing touchdowns.
A statistical snapshot from 2025 shows both the promise and the limits:
Record: 1-11
Passing yards: 3,366
Passing TDs: 23
INTs: 8
Yards per attempt: 6.9
Passer rating: 94.1
QBR: 41.2
Carries: 38
Rushing yards: 168
Rushing TDs: 1
Even the numbers that tend to support a quarterback’s leverage are complicated by outcomes. Brissett’s career record as a starter is 20-45, and he has no winning seasons. The coaching staff was let go after the 2025 season, a reminder that the Cardinals’ problems weren’t solely on his shoulders.
His standing among evaluators remains a point of debate. Pro Football Focus graded him 24th among 38 qualified quarterbacks last season, and his expected points added (EPA) per dropback ranked 23rd among 33 qualified quarterbacks, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Still, Brissett’s accuracy on interceptions is difficult to ignore: his career 1.4% interception rate is tied with Aaron Rodgers for the best among qualified passers in NFL history.
Arizona’s quarterback room adds certainty—but not an easy path to leverage
For now, Brissett is the clear top quarterback on Arizona’s roster at present, but the team is still four-deep at the position:
Jacoby Brissett
Gardner Minshew
Carson Beck
Kedon Slovis
Gardner Minshew, another veteran journeyman, is set to make $5.75 million on his one-year deal. He has a 17-30 career record and an 88 passer rating, and he’s positioned as the backup behind Brissett.
Carson Beck was selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of Miami (Fla.). He could see playing time if Brissett and Minshew struggle early in the season. Beck completed 72.4% of his passes for 3. 813 yards. 30 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last year while leading the Hurricanes to a national championship game appearance in his lone season with the school.
Kedon Slovis spent the 2025 season with the Cardinals and served as their third-string quarterback after Murray got hurt. He will likely be competing for a spot on the practice squad, though he could emerge as the team’s third-stringer again if the Cardinals end up splitting with Brissett.
The shape of the roster matters in negotiations: it gives the Cardinals options, even if Brissett remains the expected starter.
Where Brissett could land if Arizona can’t bridge the gap
The hardest part for Brissett in these negotiations may be leverage. The source of that problem is simple: there aren’t many landing spots where he could realistically emerge as a starting quarterback, which could cap his earnings potential if he parts ways with Arizona.
With that in mind, it could end up in Brissett’s interest to stay in Arizona and continue pushing for a raise. But if a deal doesn’t come together, the following teams are outlined as his best potential organizational fits.
New York Jets
The Jets remade their quarterback room during the offseason, trading for Geno Smith and spending a fourth-round pick on Clemson’s Cade Klubnik to give Frank Reich multiple options.
There were also rumors during the offseason about the Jets wanting to acquire multiple veteran quarterbacks. Brissett would fit as a challenger for Smith, though he would likely remain behind the veteran in New York.
Even so, the Jets are described as one of the few teams where Brissett would have a potential path to the starting job. They are considered the top option for him if he can’t work things out in Arizona.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts have Anthony Richardson slated to back up Daniel Jones. But Richardson, the 2023 first-round pick, has requested a trade away from Indianapolis.
If the Colts grant that request, they would need an experienced backup quarterback to provide depth behind Jones as he returns from a torn Achilles suffered last season.
A swap involving Brissett and Richardson could be considered, with Brissett offering veteran stability and Richardson representing a high-upside gamble for Mike LaFleur’s staff.
New England Patriots
The Patriots moved on from Josh Dobbs during the 2026 NFL offseason. New England could consider a reunion with Brissett to help replace him.
Josh McDaniels may be comfortable trusting Tommy DeVito and seventh-round rookie Behren Morton behind Drake Maye, but if Brissett becomes available, New England may at least add the veteran.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills currently have Kyle Allen set to back up Josh Allen. Brissett would be an upgrade in that role for a Bills team that could use insurance behind their star quarterback as they look to win their first-ever Super Bowl.
The negotiation stalemate is already shaping behavior
What’s clear from the Cardinals’ side is that this isn’t a slow-moving dispute about timing alone. Brissett is already preparing as if 2026 will be his moment—expected to be the primary starter—while his absence from voluntary offseason activities shows just how hard he’s pushing on the only thing that ultimately changes the equation: the contract.
For Arizona, his performance provides a complicated balance sheet. He produced career-best passing marks during 2025, including a 94.1 passer rating and 23 passing touchdowns across 12 starts, yet the team went 1-11 and the evaluation metrics landed him around the low end for qualified quarterbacks.
Now, with Brissett entering the final year of a deal structured by last year’s numbers—two years, $12.5 million, with $8 million guaranteed—the Cardinals have to decide whether to reward a quarterback whose efficiency is there, but whose track record as a starter still doesn’t match the money.
As the calendar advances, one fact stays constant: the gap between Brissett and Arizona remains “significantly” wide, and no one has yet outlined when it might close.
Jacoby Brissett Arizona Cardinals NFL contract negotiations 2026 NFL season Gardner Minshew Carson Beck Kedon Slovis Geno Smith Indianapolis Colts New England Patriots Buffalo Bills
So basically they’re just not paying him enough, right?
I don’t get why he’d skip voluntary stuff over money… unless they’re lowballing bad. Like just meet in the middle, sheesh.
Voluntary offseason absence sounds like he’s trying to force a trade or something? But ESPN says it’s leverage… could be both. Also 12.5 million for “two years” confuses me, is that per year or total? Either way the Cardinals always seem cheap.
Contracts are such a joke. If they really expect him as the starter for 2026 then they should’ve just signed him earlier. Waiting “months” and being far apart just makes everyone look dumb. And “significantly” far apart… okay but like what, $1M? $10M? Either way it’s his last season on that deal so they can’t pretend they have “flexibility” like the article says. Hopefully he plays out the season and embarrasses them.