By admin 
Jacoby Brissett is on a one-year, $15.5 million deal, and the Arizona Cardinals have not hidden what that means. They moved on from Kyler Murray, hired Mike LaFleur and treated 2026 as a foundation year, with the real answer at quarterback expected to come later.
Read more Saints to honor ‘Domecoming’ anniversary in clash with Falcons
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue wrote in her NFL Team Utility Tiers that Arizona never pretended otherwise. She described the offense as competent and credible through three games, which in her view keeps the team’s quiet plan for a new quarterback in 2027 on track.
What the Cardinals’ offense has shown so far
Brissett has completed 82 of 117 passes for 652 yards with four touchdown passes and one interception, per Pro Football Reference. Arizona is 18th in scoring at 21.0 points per game, and Trey McBride leads the team with 26 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns. The lone win was 26-14 over the Chargers in the opener. In the 36-30 loss at San Francisco, he went 38 of 52 for 280 yards without a turnover, and No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love ran for 90 yards. “You can’t beat yourself, and beat them,” Brissett said afterward.
LaFleur wants more from it. “We’re three weeks in and we haven’t been extremely explosive,” the coach said, according to Cardinals on SI.
Read more Vintage, not retired: Racing muscle cars still have something to prove
The defense has been the bigger problem for a 1-2 team. Arizona has allowed 81 points, or 27.0 per game, and Rodrigue has the unit 23rd in success rate while it struggles to generate consistent pressure.
That leaves the quarterback question where it was in the spring. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has floated Brissett as a midseason trade candidate if he plays well and the losses pile up, which would open snaps for third-round rookie Carson Beck. Athlon’s Luke Easterling wrote in July that Beck would not stop Arizona from drafting a quarterback early in a 2027 class that includes Texas’ Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore, and his latest mock has the Cardinals taking Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss sixth overall. Arizona currently sits 14th in Tankathon’s projected draft order, so there is ground to cover either way. The Cardinals visit the Giants on Sunday.
Read more 49ers owner Jed York suspended, fined for Ohio arrest. ‘Inexcusable mistake,’ he says
Copyright 2026 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published October 3, 2026 at 6:45 AM.