The Arizona Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew II to a one-year, $5.75 million deal worth up to $8.25 million this offseason. In limited preseason action, the veteran quarterback has already proven that to be a steal.
The most recent instance was Arizona's preseason finale against Mike LaFleur's sibling rivalry in the Green Bay Packers. He only needed nine pass attempts to look the part of one of the league's best backup quarterbacks, completing seven for 126 yards and one touchdown with a 155.8 rating.
It's been somewhat difficult to evaluate the Cardinals' entire quarterback room this preseason. For the most part, each option at the position has stepped in well for one another, which is a testament to the offensive system as a whole under LaFleur.
We even saw that at the receiver position, with players like Jalen Brooks not missing a beat regardless of who was Arizona's signal-caller at the time.
Then again, this preseason success raises the question of whether a rebuilding Cardinals roster even needed to rework veteran Jacoby Brissett's deal.
Did the Cardinals need to rework Jacoby Brissett's deal?
Arizona eventually gave in to Brissett's holdout, reworking a $15.5 million deal with up to $21 million in incentives for this season. Fortunately, they didn't add years beyond the 2026 season, knowing that Brissett is nothing more than a stopgap for this rebuilding roster.
Even in what was a relatively productive 2025 season for Brissett filling in for the injured Kyler Murray, Arizona finished with three wins and the No. 3 overall pick.
He understandably expected to be paid a starting-level salary as the team's projected starting quarterback heading into 2026 following Murray's departure. That said, was it really in the Cardinals' best interest to give in to those demands?
Cardinals may have been better off with Gardner Minshew II as their stopgap
Minshew has found past success with the Jacksonville Jaguars and could reasonably be considered in a similar tier as Brissett.
Third-round rookie Carson Beck was strong in preseason action before being shut down due to a rib injury.
In all likelihood, Arizona will find its long-term answer at the position via the 2027 draft class. But in the meantime, they should consider starting Beck midseason; that would be a win-win in terms of Beck either leading this team to success or his growing pains resulting in a coveted top pick in a 2027 draft class headlined by Arch Manning and others at the quarterback position.
The point being, was Brissett really necessary?
The main point in keeping him around as the short-term starter on a reworked deal is to keep this Cardinals offense competitive, aiding the development of multiple up-and-coming offensive weapons. Minshew has already shown in limited preseason action, as well as his underrated NFL tenure at age 30, to be capable of the same for cheaper in Arizona's case.
I'm not sure this offense is better off with Brissett than Minshew, if at all. The two veterans likely fall in the same tier as top replacement options.
There probably should've even been more of a starting competition between the two, considering Brissett's production resulted in just a three-win season. Not to say he's at fault as the replacement for Murray; rather, he isn't the solution or anyone who should feel the need to have leverage in negotiations to rework a deal.
Arizona may have been better off simply ignoring Brissett's demands, as Minshew also would've achieved their transitional goals set for the 2026 season.
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