Quarterback uncertainty has been the biggest issue in this Arizona Cardinals rebuild. They officially moved on from former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray in the offseason, moving forward with Jacoby Brissett as the veteran stopgap solution after reworking his deal. That decision to pay Brissett roughly $10 million more to end his holdout has predictably aged poorly.
With Brissett and this Cardinals offense struggling, particularly in the red zone, first-year head coach Mike LaFleur finally made the switch to Gardner Minshew II at quarterback. That led to a thrilling comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys, with Minshew leading the Cardinals to a 33-30 overtime victory.
Now LaFleur and the Cardinals officially have a quarterback controversy heading into their Week 9 divisional matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Do they stick with Brissett, the one they invested in this offseason? Were Minshew's heroics against Dallas enough to spark a changing of the guard? And how does third-round rookie Carson Beck fit into Arizona's future plans, if at all?
Here's the ideal four-step plan GM Monti Ossenfort and LaFleur should be using to finally solve the position once and for all.
1. Start Gardner Minshew II
Minshew should start immediately in Week 9 against the Seahawks. He looked like a drastic upgrade over Brissett, forming a strong connection with WR1 Michael Wilson. Minshew isn't the long-term answer for this rebuild at age 30, but he's a short-term stopgap. You know, the one the Cardinals expected Brissett to be when they paid him $10 million more.
2. Trade Jacoby Brissett
This is easier said than done. The Cardinals should also explore trading Minshew, who will likely be easier to move than Brissett thanks to his cheaper contract and recent performance against the Cowboys.
Ideally, Arizona trades Brissett to a quarterback-needy team like the Philadelphia Eagles, even if it means getting minimal future draft capital in return. They need to move on from the Brissett era, clearing the path for a Minshew-Beck pairing going forward.
3. Finish the season with Carson Beck
Arizona shouldn't let Minshew's Week 8 heroics cloud the long-term outlook. This is still a 3-5 team with no realistic playoff chances in the NFC West. Minshew may give this team its best short-term chance to win, as his comeback over Dallas showed. However, Beck also showed enough promise himself as a rookie in his lone preseason game.
The Cardinals will likely have very little to play for at the end of the season. They have a weak schedule to end the year, which could make a case for being aggressive in trying to win these games and make a push. I don't think that optimism will last once those games finally hit the calendar. Fans will be eager to evaluate Beck, especially ahead of an important 2027 NFL Draft.
4. Draft a quarterback in the first round of 2027
This ultimately depends on how well Beck performs in his audition to finish out the season in this scenario. But since Beck was a third-round investment, it wouldn't be wise or realistic to assume he's the Cardinals' long-term answer.
The draft is far from a guarantee, especially at quarterback, but Arizona should have a great opportunity to address the position in the first round. They'll likely have another top-ten pick, though the relatively underwhelming college seasons from quarterback prospects do cloud the picture.
Ideally, Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker is on the board when Arizona is on the clock. He's emerging as the standout quarterback prospect. Arizona may not even have the opportunity to land Mestemaker, but they can still address the quarterback position.
Whether it's CJ Carr, Dante Moore, Trinidad Chambliss, or someone else entirely, drafting a quarterback in the first round is ultimately going to give Arizona the best chance of putting an end to its crisis at the position. Hopefully, they can finally start gaining momentum in this rebuild, with that quarterback as the foundational piece.
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