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TEMPE, Ariz. — As Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett continues to skip voluntary workouts while he waits for a new contract, coach Mike LaFleur says the absence hasn’t put Arizona behind in any way.
"He's played a lot of football, and we're in communication," LaFleur said Friday. "He knows what the expectation is."
A source told ESPN that Brissett has been informed by the Cardinals that he is their starting quarterback. That was a shift from March, right after Kyler Murray was released, when Brissett had not been told he was the starter-in-waiting, according to a source.
After the first day of Arizona's rookie minicamp, LaFleur said the dialogue between the two sides continues. The process is "ongoing," LaFleur said, as veterans prepare to return to Tempe next week to continue their offseason program.
"Everything's good from a dialogue standpoint," LaFleur said. "But like we said, this is voluntary, and so that's where we'll leave it."
Brissett, who started 12 games for Arizona last season, wants a restructured contract for the final season of the two-year deal he signed in March 2025.
He is scheduled to earn $4.88 million in 2026, only $1.5 million of which is guaranteed, along with $510,000 in active-game bonuses. By comparison, Gardner Minshew, whom Arizona signed as a free agent in March, had $5.14 million guaranteed by Arizona for 2026.
Brissett finished last season as the top-ranked quarterback from Week 6, when he was given his first start after Murray was injured, on dropbacks, action plays, completions and attempts. He was second in passing yards and fourth in completion percentage above expected.
As Brissett had a career year, he brought along pass catchers with him.
Michael Wilson had 52 yards through the first five games, all started by Murray, and finished with 1,006 to eclipse 1,000 for the first time in his career. Tight end Trey McBride averaged 55 receiving yards per game and had just one touchdown in the first five weeks; he finished the year averaging 72.9 yards per game and with 11 touchdowns as he became an All-Pro for the first time.
