The Arizona Cardinals reworked Jacoby Brissett's contract before the season, paying him $15.5 million guaranteed -- a number at least better reflective of a starting quarterback in the league. He's been volatile through two starts for the 1-1 Cardinals, meaning the question of whether he justifies that payday remains.
It's certainly trending in the wrong direction after a disastrous Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, where Brissett failed to reach even 100 passing yards.
However, the good news for Arizona is that Brissett's performance isn't directly tied to their long-term outlook because they wisely didn't attach any additional years to that restructured deal. Even though they paid Brissett to be this team's starter entering the season, he's really just a stopgap on a short-term deal. From that standpoint, head coach Mike LaFleur shouldn't feel much attachment to him as this team's locked-in starter.
Cardinals shouldn't feel attached to Jacoby Brissett this season
Brissett's next opportunity to right the ship comes Sunday on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. The schedule doesn't lighten up anytime soon after that either. If the Cardinals continue to struggle under Brissett, they could quickly find themselves out of the playoff conversation in the NFC West.
If that is indeed the case, they should consider switching to third-round rookie Carson Beck at starter.
Hopefully Week 2 is a low point for Brissett and this Cardinals offense, which has otherwise looked promising under LaFleur's new offensive scheme coming from the Sean McVay coaching tree. But just because Arizona threw more money at Brissett doesn't mean they need to keep doubling down on that investment by playing him if it isn't resulting in wins.
Most likely, Arizona will look to land a long-term solution at the position in the 2027 NFL Draft. However, that's far from guaranteed, especially in a class where top quarterback prospects have struggled early.
Why not at least see what they have in Beck during that window to close out the season?
That decision to start Beck over Brissett could create a win-win for Arizona. Either their inconsistent offense improves under Beck, which is a realistic possibility considering the flashes he showed in limited preseason action before being shut down with a rib injury. Or, the Cardinals improve their draft position, at boosting their chances of things panning out should they take that uncertain draft route.
It's one thing if Brissett is playing well and the Cardinals' offense is humming, as was largely the case in their Week 1 upset over the Los Angeles Chargers. Even if Brissett is a veteran stopgap, there's still value in establishing a winning culture and new identity under this new LaFleur era. But to start Brissett and not only lose, but also fail to generate yards, suddenly makes it much harder to justify having their rookie watch the offense struggle on the sidelines.
While a quarterback swap doesn't appear imminent by any means, it should at least be creeping up in the back of LaFleur's mind if these struggles continue. We'll see which version of Brissett and this Cardinals offense shows up against the 49ers, then reevaluate Arizona's seemingly never-ending quarterback problem.
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