Cardinals' Week 1 QB Competition: Jacoby Brissett Favored Amid Contract Talks

I have reached the end of FanDuel's interesting " NFL Week 1 starting quarterback" props list and saved perhaps the worst for last: Arizona. The Cardinals most likely are going to be quite awful again in 2026 and will get their quarterback of the future very high in a supposedly loaded 2027 draft class of signal-callers.

Arizona's Over/Under win total of 4.5 is tied for the league's lowest (with Miami), and it is the +250 favorite to have the fewest wins. Hello Arch Manning or Dante Moore in 2027!

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The Cardinals are definitely in a transition period after losing a team-record 14 games last year – their fourth straight losing season -- under former coach Jonathan Gannon, who was fired. Former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur replaced him. Hey, if you can't beat your rivals in the NFC West, steal their coaching talent.

Arizona first targeted Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but he opted to take the Raiders ' HC job. LaFleur is the sixth straight head coach hired by the Cardinals who does not have permanent NFL head coaching experience – LaFleur didn't even call offensive plays in L.A. He is +3000 to win NFL Coach of the Year.

Arizona is also starting over under center after releasing former No. 1 overall pick and 2019 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Kyler Murray despite having to eat a $55 million salary-cap hit. The club will absorb $47.5 million of that in 2026.

Murray looked like he would be such a good player and is third in franchise history in passing yards, but then injuries and simple ineffectiveness got the best of the ex-Heisman Trophy winner. Although as I wrote about last week with the Vikings, he's the favorite to be the Week 1 starter for them while being paid $36 million in 2026 by the Cards.

There really is little question that Jacoby Brissett will be the guy under center for Arizona in the season opener on Sept. 13 at the Los Angeles Chargers , and Brissett is the -295 favorite to be. The only hang up with him is that Brissett wants a raise and might force the issue. The Cardinals had their mandatory mini-camp last week and the 33-year-old had made some noise about skipping to make a statement about a new deal. But he did show up, avoiding a $107,000 fine.

I think it's hilarious that a journeyman like Brissett is whing about a raise and might "hold in" at training camp, but he does have a point with a salary of $4.88 million this season with the potential to grow to $5.39 million, of which only $1.5 million is guaranteed. Those numbers are extremely low for an NFL starting QB. By comparison, fellow journeyman Gardner Minshew , signed as a free agent in March, had $5.14 million guaranteed by the team for 2026.

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While Brissett was an ugly 1-11 last year as the starter after replacing injured Murray in Week 6, the Cardinals were often competitive but couldn't keep up defensively. During a nine-game losing streak from Weeks 10-18, Arizona allowed 35.2 points per game, last in the league. In that same span, Brissett was first in the NFL in completions and attempts, tied for third in passing touchdowns and third in passing first downs and total passing yards. He was fourth in passing yards per game and fifth in completion percentage above expected.

Overall, Brissett threw for 3,366 yards, 23 TDs and eight picks in 14 games for a rating of 94.1 that was his second-best career and 16th in the league, ahead of such notable guys as Houston's CJ Stroud , Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence , Tampa Bay's Baker Mayfield and Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes . All those but Stroud (he's on his rookie deal) will make a lot more than Brissett in 2026. Apparently, he only is asking for more guaranteed money.

I would imagine that FanDuel is listing Minshew (+370) and third-round rookie Carson Beck (+700) as Week 1 starters only on the chance that Brissett does stand his ground and not compete in camp. But that would put him so far behind with a new coaching staff and new offense. Brissett stayed away from the team all offseason until last week.

"I'm not really concerned about QB1 right now," LaFleur said at minicamp. "I'm concerned about these guys reporting (to training camp). Really, I'm concerned about them for the next 40 days and what they are doing … you can't take steps backwards, and that's not just the quarterbacks. That's all these guys."

Minshew is 17-30 career as a starter and was 0-1 last year as the backup in Kansas City. Beck is a project who was the third QB off the board in April's draft at No. 65 overall. If the season goes south, I'm sure Beck gets a chance to start at some point, just for the team to see if there's any shot that Beck could be the future.

Arizona is the biggest Week 1 dog on the board at +10.5 against the Chargers. The SportsLine Projection Model has Brissett throwing for 214 yards with 1.35 TDs and 0.83 INTs. To lead the NFL in 2026 passing yards, he's +5000.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/betting/news/cardinals-week-1-qb-competition-odds-its-jacoby-brissetts-job-to-lose-unless-contract-demands-get-in-way/)._