The Cardinals are entering 2026 with a large question mark under center.
They don’t yet have an answer. Arizona has provided itself with two options at quarterback — 2025’s mid-season replacement Jacoby Brissett and veteran Gardner Minshew — but isn’t close to determining a preferred starter.
“Listen, we got Jacoby, Gardner — they both played a lot of ball,” Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort told reporters Thursday. “You know, I think, as we sit here today, we’re trying to install a system. You guys (coach Matt LaFleur’s staff) are rolling. You know, I’ll defer to you on that, but we’re not really naming anybody, and we’ll see how that room looks by the time we get in August.”
Ossenfort’s response falls in line with how the Cardinals have handled the matter publicly since adding Minshew into the mix in March: We have two options, we like both and we’re nowhere near deciding who is our favorite. With Brissett having started 12 games last season and the Cardinals signing Minshew to a one-year, $5.75 million deal, many assumed Brissett would be the default starter. That’s not the case at this point, anyway.
“There’s certain positions that you feel really good about, and I feel really good about the quarterback position. Why? Because both those guys have played a lot of football,” LaFleur said. “So, right now, none of that is being discussed because all we’re trying to do is get a foundational aspect of what this system looks like. And then, like I keep telling the guys, we have the foundational aspects of what we want it to look like, but we’re going to fit it to the skillset of what these guys can do.
“We’re not going to be the Rams, we’re not going to be the Niners, we’re not going to be the Packers, we’re not going to be anyone but the Arizona Cardinals. The best offenses I’ve been a part of organically have gotten to that point.”