Cardinals News
So… is Jacoby Brissett Arizona’s Starting Quarterback now?
The Cardinals enter the 2026 offseason with a quarterback room that is more question mark than exclamation point, but at least the picture is becoming clearer.
Veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett took over the starting job in Arizona following Kyler Murray’s mid-foot injury in Week 5, stepping in beginning Week 6 and never relinquishing the role. Coach Jonathan Gannon, who has since been fired, eventually named Brissett the permanent starter for the remainder of the season. With the Cardinals having now informed Murray that he will be released on March 11, the first day of the new league year, Brissett stands atop a depth chart that currently consists only of fellow quarterback Kedon Slovis, a rookie who went undrafted in 2024, bounced through the practice squads of the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, and made his NFL debut for Arizona in Week 10 of the 2025 season.
While Brissett was something of a fantasy revelation in 2025, unlocking tight end Trey McBride, who shattered the all-time NFL record for receptions by a tight end, and wide receiver Michael Wilson with a high-volume passing attack, the Cardinals won only one of his 12 starts. Brissett himself acknowledged the bittersweet nature of it all: a career year, finally, but on a team that finished 3–14. The Cardinals have since fired Gannon and begun the process of rebuilding.
Into that rebuild steps new head coach Mike LaFleur, hired February 1, 2026, after three seasons as the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive coordinator. LaFleur is the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, a detail that has become central to one of the offseason’s most closely watched quarterback stories: the pursuit of Malik Willis.
Willis, a restricted free agent coming off two seasons as Jordan Love’s backup in Green Bay, is widely considered the most coveted quarterback available when the legal tampering window opens on March 9. The 2022 third-round pick out of Liberty has posted startling efficiency across his three Packers starts and 11 total appearances, completing 78 percent of his passes for 972 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions combined across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. In a quarterback class with limited upside beyond Willis, multiple reports project him as the clear top target for at least four teams, with Arizona appearing near the top of that list.
The connection is hard to ignore. Matt LaFleur coached Willis during both of his seasons with the Packers. Mike LaFleur, now the head man in Arizona, is also working with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who was on Green Bay’s staff last year. The Cardinals additionally have a pre-existing front-office tie to Willis: general manager Monti Ossenfort was in Tennessee’s organization when the Titans drafted him in 2022. Several analysts have noted that few teams in the league have more inside knowledge of what Willis can and cannot do.
The question is whether Arizona’s front office and ownership are willing to commit what Willis is likely to command. Projections have centered on two years in the $45–50 million range for a player with just three career starts. The Cardinals carry significant dead cap weight from the Murray release, which adds a layer of financial complexity to the pursuit.
Still, the logic is compelling. With a weak rookie quarterback class and a franchise sitting at the No. 3 overall draft pick, Arizona has both the need and the draft capital to build around a young, dynamic passer. If Mike LaFleur’s connections in Green Bay translate into the kind of firsthand conviction that moves a front office, Malik Willis could be answering questions in a Cardinals uniform before the end of March.