QB Jacoby Brissett Will Report To Cardinals’ Minicamp
JUNE 9: Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes Brissett is expected to primarily take part in individual drills this week since it will allow Minshew to continue leading the offense in full team work (as he has through voluntary practices). It will be interesting to see if Brissett manages to gain traction on the negotiating front this summer or if a lack of involvement in the offseason limits his leverage.
JUNE 8: Jacoby Brissett was absent through the voluntary portion of the Cardinals’ offseason program. No contract resolution has been reached in this case, but attendance for mandatory work is expected.
Brissett will report to the team for this week’s mandatory minicamp, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss and Jeremy Fowler report. Doing so will ensure he avoids fines which are guaranteed for any players who skip out on the June practices. The extent to which Brissett will participate over the coming days is still unclear, to no surprise.
[RELATED: Marvin Harrison Jr. Not Fully Recovered From 2025 Injuries]
Throughout the spring, the veteran quarterback has sought a contract adjustment reflecting his status as Arizona’s 2026 starter. The Cardinals added Gardner Minshew in free agency and drafted Carson Beck in the third round, but Brissett is set to begin the coming season atop the depth chart. As things stand, the 33-year-old is set to earn $4.88MM in salary on the final year of his deal; $1.5MM of that figure is guaranteed.
As of May, negotiations on an extension between Brissett and the Cardinals had not yielded much in the way of progress. Weinfuss and Fowler add an agreement is not expected to be finalized in time for the start of minicamp. Brissett’s attendance will therefore ensure fines of up to $108K will not be coming his way, but it is unlikely to lead to a breakthrough on the contract front.
Filling in for an injured Kyler Murray midway through the 2025 season, Brissett stabilized Arizona’s offense and remained the team’s QB1 even when Murray was healthy. The former No. 1 pick was expectedly released this spring, positioning the Cardinals to pursue a new starter in the 2027 draft. Brissett’s track record in the NFL will make it challenging to secure any notable bumps in pay or new term on his deal, but his pact being worth less than Minshew’s would represent an awkward arrangement heading into the season.
This situation could still result in a trade being worked out, although a strong market does not exist for Brissett. His status will remain worth watching closely as the summer unfolds with the Cardinals’ next steps still unclear.
Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett Continues Holdout
Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett has made it abundantly clear that he wants an adjusted contract to reflect his status as the team’s starter for the 2026 season.
He skipped Arizona’s first two weeks of OTAs hoping to spur some movement in negotiations, but the team has been unwilling to play ball thus far. Brissett is not at the Cardinals’ final week of OTAs, either, per ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, with just one week to go until mandatory minicamp.
Brissett is set to earn just $4.88MM in base salary this season with an additional $510k in per-game roster bonuses. He can also earn $1MM for playing 50% of the Cardinal’s offensive snaps and another $1MM for hitting 65%. That is the lowest compensation of any starting quarterback not on a rookie contract. Geno Smith, Kyler Murray, and Tua Tagovailoa are earning less from their current teams, but they are also receiving significant sums from their former clubs.
The Cardinals may have misplayed their hand by making Brissett their presumed starter so early in the year. His grievance may be further compounded by the fact that Arizona signed Gardner Minshew to a $5.75MM deal this offseason to be his backup. The team drafted Carson Beck in the third round of April’s draft, giving them a third option, but new head coach Mike LaFleur prefers the incumbent. However, Brissett now clearly believes he has enough leverage to squeeze a raise out of general manager Monti Ossenfort.
Arizona has over $35MM in cap space, per OverTheCap, so they have the funds to bump Brissett’s pay. But agreeing on a dollar figure may be difficult. The 33-year-old does not profile as the Cardinals’ long-term signal-caller and seems closer to a stopgap option as the team figures out their future at the position – which could include Beck. Kirk Cousins and Justin Fields are on one-year placeholder deals worth roughly $11MM, which would seem like an appropriate raise for Brissett.
But the Cardinals could simply call his bluff and move forward with Minshew and Beck taking most of the practice reps – as they have been this spring – and competing for the starting job. Brissett could continue holding out into next week’s minicamp, which would result in just under $108k in fines if he misses all three days.
Given Arizona’s financial resources, it should be easy enough to come to a resolution. No other team is offering Brissett a starting job, either, and a decade into his career, he is unlikely to receive many similar chances in the future. Staying away from the team until training camp also runs the risk that Minshew or Beck can impress LaFleur enough to unseat Brissett, in which case he would certainly not get a raise.
It is worth noting that OTAs are purely voluntary, and a 10-year veteran like Brissett may prefer to manage his own offseason – though the ongoing installation of LaFleur’s new offense is a major reason to show up. He has never played in an offense orchestrated by a former Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay lieutenant, so there will still be plenty to learn in the new scheme.
In the past, showing up at mandatory minicamp after skipping OTAs has been seen as a good-faith gesture on the player’s part and a sign of progress in contract talks. Brissett’s presence next week will therefore be a key indicator of how things stand between him and the Cardinals.
Jacoby Brissett, Cardinals Far Apart In Contract Talks
The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew and drafted Carson Beck in the third round, but the team still views Jacoby Brissett as its starter. Contract negotiations are ongoing, but they aren’t in a great place.
Brissett and the Cardinals are “significantly” apart on terms as the sides discuss a reworked deal, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports. Brissett, Arizona’s primary 2025 starter, is tied to a two-year deal worth $12.5MM. Just $1.5MM guaranteed remains on that pact, however. That number trails projected backup Minshew’s $5.14MM guarantee at signing.
As Cardinals OTAs began this week, Brissett has been absent with negotiations ongoing. The journeyman passer has been seeking a starter-level extension. While Brissett is tied to backup money — after he signed to be the 2025 Cards’ QB2 behind Kyler Murray — Arizona is in a clear transitional phase. Brissett is prepared to miss more OTA time during these talks, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Cardinals will likely be connected to the 2027 quarterback class in the near future, and Brissett and Minshew are in place as bridges. The Beck pick is unlikely to stop the Cardinals from a high-stakes QB research project before the 2027 draft, but it stands to reason Mike LaFleur‘s team will want to see the Miami prospect in action as a rookie to gather more information.
Trading either Brissett or Minshew before the deadline would make sense, as the Cardinals may not need two veteran bridge options this season. As PFR’s Ely Allen noted recently, Beck was viewed by some evaluators as this draft class’ most pro-ready QB prospect. He will turn 25 before season’s end. With Minshew signing with the Cardinals after LaFleur’s hire, Brissett could well become the team’s preferred trade chip. But tepid interest has emerged thus far.
Brissett, 33, has not been tied to a deal worth more than $8MM per year since his Colts tenure ended in 2021. He has since played for five teams, with the Cardinals the only club authorizing a two-year pact in that span. Brissett played with the Colts from 2017-20, yoyoing between the starter and backup levels, but stopped through Miami, Cleveland, Washington and New England between 2021-24. He started 12 games last year, after Murray went down with an injury, and went 1-11 in those starts. Brissett did sport a 23:8 TD-INT ratio and finish with a career-best 64.9% completion rate, and his camp will surely emphasize these points in this renegotiation.
For now, the Cardinals have Minshew and Beck taking reps in the voluntary portion of their offseason program. While Arizona OTAs will continue past this week, the next notable chapter here may be mandatory minicamp in June. Brissett may be costing himself by not taking reps in LaFleur’s offense before that point, but for the time being, he is viewed as the Cardinals’ starter. Team and player, however, have differing views on how much that should cost in 2026.
Tepid Trade Market For Jacoby Brissett?
Jacoby Brissett continues to sit out OTAs as he pursues a new contract. The quarterback’s apparent dissatisfaction with his deal (along with the Cardinals’ selection of Carson Beck) has led some pundits to assume that a trade is inevitable.
[RELATED: Jacoby Brissett Absent For Start Of Cardinals’ OTAs]
That hypothetical trade probably won’t come to fruition, at least for the time being. Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom.com writes that “there isn’t much of a trade market” for Brissett.
Further, one anonymous GM who was shopping for QB reinforcement was skeptical that the veteran was ever on the trade block. If anything, that executive believes the Cardinals are willing to keep Brissett into the regular season and wait until a QB-needy team is willing to make a desperate trade. La Canfora also notes that some league executives are skeptical that Brissett can continue his play into the 2026 campaign. So even when the inevitable crop of injuries do pop up, the market may not be as robust as the Cardinals are hoping.
If that’s truly the Cardinals plan, then the front office will still have to navigate Brissett’s current discontent. The 33-year-old inked a two-year, $12.5MM contract with Arizona last offseason, and he’s currently attached to $5.4MM in earnings for the 2026 campaign.
That’s obviously an affordable arrangement for the franchise, especially since they plan for Brissett to be their QB1 entering the season. Initially signed to serve as Kyler Murray‘s backup, Brissett ended up starting 12 games for the Cardinals in 2025. While the team only went 1-11 in those appearances, the journeyman put up some of the best numbers of his career. He finished the campaign having completed 64.9 percent of his passes while establishing career-highs in passing yards (3,366) and passing touchdowns (23).
Despite his production last season, it’s not like the rebuilding Cardinals have a desperate need to keep Brissett around. As mentioned, the team used a third-round selection on Beck, and there’s a good chance the Miami product sees the field at some point during his rookie season. The Cardinals also brought in Gardner Minshew following their failed pursuit of Jimmy Garoppolo, so there’s another QB who can keep the seat warm until Beck is deemed ready to play.
Jacoby Brissett Absent For Start Of Cardinals’ OTAs
The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew, after Jimmy Garoppolo talks hit a snag, but are believed to view Jacoby Brissett as their starter. But the team’s primary 2025 starter is seeking a raise.
As a result of the contract issue, Brissett has not joined his Cardinals teammates at their first OTA workout. The quarterback is staying away for the time being, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Brissett is tied to a two-year, $12.5MM deal that brings a $4.88MM 2026 base salary.
Closely linked to Ty Simpson in the draft, the Cardinals saw the Rams outflank them for the Alabama product. The Rams viewed their division rivals as a threat for the one-year college starter, and after Los Angeles made the move to draft him at No. 13 overall, the Cardinals waited on a quarterback move. It is obviously not certain Arizona would have traded back into Round 1 for Simpson, but after the team saw the Rams intervene, Carson Beck became the rookie QB investment at No. 65 overall.
Beck accompanies the veteran arms here, as the Cardinals will almost definitely be linked to the 2027 QB draft class — a crop expected to bring better depth compared to this year’s — but they have Brissett and Minshew in place as stopgaps. Beck may be given the keys this season, as it would stand to reason the Cards will want to know how the recent CFP championship game starter looks in game action, but Mike LaFleur appears prepared to open the season with Brissett at the controls.
We heard before the draft Brissett was seeking a starter-level extension. It would make sense for the Cardinals to have one of their veteran arms under contract for 2027, as another bridge setup may need to be in place if the franchise drafts a first-rounder next year. Minshew is on a one-year, $5.75MM pact. That contract came nearly fully guaranteed. Brissett, 33, has just $1.5MM in guaranteed 2026 salary; that figure vested in March.
Brissett (65 career starts) is tied to backup money, but he has been largely viewed as such throughout his career. Brissett’s most notable work came in two separate stints replacing Andrew Luck. Acquired from the Patriots just before the 2017 season, Brissett started 15 Colts games as Luck missed the season with a shoulder injury. After the franchise QB’s sudden 2019 retirement, Brissett stepped back in as Indianapolis’ starter. His other notable starter stint came in 2022, when he was the Browns’ Deshaun Watson stopgap. Brissett reunited with ex-Browns QBs coach Drew Petzing last year, signing with a Cardinals team featuring Petzing as the play-caller. Arizona’s coaching change leaves his status murkier, and trade noise has emerged in the wake of the contract demand.
Minshew’s presence — and the general lack of expectations surrounding this Cardinals team — would stand to keep Brissett’s price point reasonable. Although the 2025 Giants showed two stopgap veterans (Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston) can stay on a team with a rookie QB investment, the Cardinals could certainly get by with just Minshew accompanying Beck.
This Cards regime has traded a bridge starter in the past, unloading Josh Dobbs (to the Vikings) at the 2023 deadline — as Kyler Murray finished off his ACL rehab. With Minshew signing to play in LaFleur’s offense, Brissett’s name will be one to watch in the coming weeks and months. GM Monti Ossenfort trading Dobbs weeks after acquiring him in a deal does keep the door open to Minshew being a trade candidate as well, but Brissett’s contract situation represents a key variable here. For the time being, it is keeping him off the field as the Cardinals learn LaFleur’s offense.
Cardinals View QB Jacoby Brissett As Starter; Contract Talks ‘Ongoing’
The Cardinals added veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew in free agency and drafted Carson Beck in the third round, but neither is expected to start Week 1. New head coach Mike LaFleur considers Jacoby Brissett the Cardinals’ No. 1 signal-caller, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports.
Brissett has been “made aware” that the Cardinals view him as their starter, according to Weinfuss. LaFleur said discussions between the team and Brissett, who is seeking a more lucrative contract, are “ongoing” (via team reporter Dani Sureck).
The Cardinals will have to get Brissett in the building before he can lead their quarterbacks room. The 33-year-old journeyman has stayed away from voluntary workouts in his quest for a raise. As of now, Brissett is entering the second season of the two-year, $12.5MM deal he signed as a free agent in March 2025. He has just $1.5MM in guarantees remaining, whereas Minshew has at least $5.14MM coming his way this year. Minshew is the Cardinals’ QB2 as of now, per Weinfuss, leaving Beck third on the depth chart as the former Georgia Bulldog and Miami Hurricane begins his NFL career.
Brissett, a former Patriot, Colt, Dolphin, Brown and Commander, originally joined the Cardinals to serve as a backup. However, thanks to Kyler Murray‘s season-ending foot injury, Brissett wound up making 12 starts. It was the fourth season of double-digit starts for the 10-year veteran, who completed 64.9% of passes, threw for 3,366 yards and tossed 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Brissett posted a respectable traditional passer rating of 94.1, which tied Chargers star Justin Herbert for 15th in the league, but his 41.2 QBR ranked a lackluster 24th among 28 qualifiers.
The Cardinals managed just one win with Brissett at the helm. They went 3-14 overall and secured the third pick, which they used to draft running back Jeremiyah Love. He should make life easier on Brissett, who also has an elite tight end, Trey McBride, and a strong wide receiver tandem of Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson in place.
The Cardinals will expect better from an offense that ranked 19th in yards and 23rd in scoring in 2025, but it is up in the air whether Brissett will last the entire year as their starter. If the team falls out of contention, it would not be a surprise to see LaFleur turn to Beck. Arizona spent a valuable pick (No. 65) on Beck, who will already turn 25 during his rookie year.
QB Jacoby Brissett Likely Trade Candidate With Carson Beck In Arizona?
After going 1-11 in 12 starts for the Cardinals in 2025, quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been staying away from team activities as he attempts to land a starter-level extension. According to NFL insider Jason La Canfora, though, Brissett will more likely end up being a trade candidate.
With Brissett in line for his second Cardinals season and a backup passer with starting experience in Gardner Minshew, many thought Arizona would spend the first year of new head coach Mike LaFleur tanking its way to as high a draft pick as possible in 2027 in an attempt to land the best of a better crop of quarterbacks than what was available this year. It was presumed that the Cardinals would utilize this year’s draft to bring in a number of strong supporting pieces to prop up their future rookie starter.
Instead, the team took an interestingly different route. When the Cards reportedly were unable to find an offer they deemed worthy of trading out of the No. 3 overall pick for, they opted to select RB1 Jeremiyah Love. They did get around to landing a plug-and-play starting guard at the top of the second round in Chase Bisontis, but with the first pick of the third round, the Cardinals shocked a number of analysts by drafting Miami quarterback Carson Beck, the third passer to come off the board in the 2026 draft class.
Though he heard his name called two rounds after first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, who beat him head-to-head in the College Football Playoff national championship game four months ago, Beck’s six years in college had some evaluators believing he was the most pro-ready passer in the class. Once Beck was wearing a red hat, an NFL general manager reportedly told La Canfora that Arizona would “move Brissett by the (trade) deadline.”
Even if Brissett isn’t traded away immediately, the theory seems clear. If this GM is correct, at some point, Beck would take over as the starter. As a third-round, pro-ready prospect with the top rookie running back and an improved offensive line, there’s a chance Beck could find success and show potential as the team’s future at the position. If such a hypothetical ends up being too far out of reach to become reality and Beck’s starting run leads them to a poor record and a high draft pick, then the Cardinals would be perfectly in line to draft a first-round quarterback in 2027.
Fueling that idea a bit further, recent whispers that veteran free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers may be considering Arizona as a future home appear to be nothing more than rumors. ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reached out to a source recently to gauge the reality of this possibility, and his source claimed it was “not at all” real. If Rodgers stays away and Brissett gets shipped out, Beck may end up starting as a rookie as the Cardinals make moves to find their QB for the future.
Cardinals’ Jacoby Brissett Seeking Starter-Level Extension
The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew last month, adding a second bridge quarterback after signing Jacoby Brissett in 2025. Brissett worked as Arizona’s primary starter last season, with Kyler Murray shut down with a foot injury. Murray’s release clears the way for a Brissett-Minshew competition.
Monti Ossenfort declined to name a starter when asked this week, and the fourth-year GM cautioned (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport) the team would “see how the room looks in August” when addressing the situation. Soon after, Brissett is staying away from Cardinals voluntary workouts for contract reasons. The veteran is seeking an extension that pays him as the Cards’ starter, Rapoport adds.
Arizona gave Brissett a two-year, $12.5MM deal in 2025. That contract reunited Brissett with then-Cardinals OC Drew Petzing, who coached the QB in Cleveland. Petzing is now the Lions’ OC, leaving after Jonathan Gannon‘s firing, though Ossenfort was onboard when the Cards added Brissett. Arizona was closely linked to reuniting new HC Mike LaFleur with Jimmy Garoppolo, but negotiations broke down. That led to Minshew signing a one-year, $5.75MM deal.
Minshew’s contract comes nearly fully guaranteed, while only $1.5MM in guarantees remain on Brissett’s pact. The latter wants an update, and Rapoport adds the Cardinals seem amenable to making some sort of adjustment.
Brissett, 33, started 12 games last season; the Cardinals went 1-11 in those contests during a 3-14 season. Brissett did have the offense in better form than Murray did during his brief 2025 work, throwing 23 touchdown passes compared to eight interceptions and completing 64.9% of his throws. Averaging 7.1 yards per attempt, Brissett ranked 24th in QBR. That was fifth-worst among qualified passers last season.
This is team No. 6 for Brissett, a Patriots draftee who later suited up for the Colts, Dolphins, Browns and Commanders. New England brought Brissett back as a bridge to Drake Maye in 2024. Brissett has not been tied to a contract worth more than $8MM per year since the Colts extended him in 2019. That deal brought a $20MM guarantee at signing, as Indianapolis needed Brissett to (again) assume the controls after Andrew Luck news changed the equation. Brissett started most of the 2017 season in Indianapolis — as Luck missed all of that campaign because of a shoulder injury — and took over again after the franchise QB’s shocking 2019 retirement. The Colts, however, signed Philip Rivers in 2020; that set Brissett on a nomadic course through the QB2 ranks.
The 2022 and ’25 seasons, though, did give Brissett extended starter looks. Prior to Murray’s injury, Deshaun Watson‘s 11-game suspension gave Brissett a lengthy run as the Browns’ starter. It will be interesting to see if the Cardinals accommodate the older of their two stopgap options, but increased buzz about Ty Simpson is emerging. After a report earlier today indicated an Arizona trade-up back into Round 1 — presumably from its No. 34 spot — is in play, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah noted a Simpson-to-Arizona path “feels inevitable.”
It would seem either Brissett or Minshew would be a trade candidate if the Cardinals are the Simpson team. I’ve predicted Simpson to Arizona in recent PFR chats, as Ossenfort going four drafts without identifying his own signal-caller may be risky. The Cardinals are 15-36 in the GM’s three seasons on the job, and while the team waiting on a more promising 2027 QB crop may be appealing, its current GM may be on a hot seat after last year’s 3-14 stumble.
A one-year starter at Alabama, Simpson would seemingly be in need of some grooming. Would the Cardinals need both Brissett and Minshew in the event they draft the polarizing prospect? The Giants kept both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston after drafting Jaxson Dart, so recent precedent does exist for the two-mentor approach. Brissett receiving a raise on an extension, however, would leave Minshew in a strange position weeks after signing with the team. Brissett’s status will be a storyline to monitor, and a Simpson investment could change the organization’s plans here.
Kyler Murray Eyeing Vikings; Jets Showing Interest
The Cardinals are moving on from Kyler Murray. A last-ditch trade effort is still taking place, but absent that, Arizona is prepared to release its longtime starter. Two usual suspects are on the radar here.
Vikings interest in Murray has come out at multiple points this offseason, but Sportsboom.com’s Jason La Canfora indicates the soon-to-be unattached quarterback would prefer a Minnesota deal. Though, the Jets will present a clearer path to a starting job.
New York has been connected to some lower-profile names, from Tanner McKee to Jarrett Stidham to Tyson Bagent; a recent report has now tied the team to a Frank Reich–Carson Wentz reunion. That would certainly be an uninspired path for the Jets, who would seemingly be prepared to chase a 2027 first-round QB if Wentz truly became the stopgap option. But La Canfora indicates the Jets appear to be the team “most desperate” for Murray.
Murray, 28, will be looking for a place to bounce back, and ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini views the quarterback as unlikely to share the Jets’ level of interest here. The Vikings have elevated a few veteran quarterbacks’ stocks — from Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold to Daniel Jones — under Kevin O’Connell, but they are still developing J.J. McCarthy.
Adam La Rose’s most recent PFR mailbag addressed the line the Vikings are attempting to walk in trying to upgrade at QB while still having hopes for McCarthy, and Murray throwing himself into that mix would be interesting. Jones passed on this last year, choosing a Colts starter path despite the Vikings offering more money. Murray, however, is a different type of free agent. The Cardinals are on the hook for his 2026 salary, making fit the priority as opposed to an offer. This is similar to Russell Wilson‘s 2024 market, when he signed with the Steelers for the veteran minimum (as the Broncos paid the bulk of his tab).
New Jets OC Frank Reich is also believed to be high on Jacoby Brissett from their time together in Indianapolis, Cimini adds, and La Canfora notes the Cardinals have received trade offers on Brissett — whom last year’s staff appeared to prefer guiding the offense compared to Murray.
The Jets have been previously connected to Brissett, who is tied to a two-year, $12.5MM Cardinals deal. Reich coached Brissett from 2018-20 in Indy. Brissett looms as a Cardinals stopgap option, and GM Monti Ossenfort signed him last year. But with Malik Willis and Jimmy Garoppolo connections forming, will Arizona be too attached to its primary 2025 starter? La Canfora also ties Garoppolo to the Cards, which will make a Brissett trade — as several teams are looking for starters ahead of a thin QB draft — something to monitor.
With Murray needing to show he remains capable of above-average play, his upcoming choice will be critical. At 5-foot-10, the former No. 1 overall pick will not be a fit for every offense. He certainly ran into obstacles during the back half of his Cardinals career. If he is not traded, enough Minnesota smoke has emerged to indicate there will be some mutual interest here.
As for the Jets, they have also been doing some homework on Tua Tagovailoa. The longtime Dolphins starter also has his 2026 salary guaranteed; both he and Murray are likely to be vet-minimum options in bounce-back scenarios. As of now, though, Murray is believed to be driving more interest than Tagovailoa.
Jets Could Add 2 Veteran QBs; Carson Wentz At Top Of List
The Jets need a quarterback. More specifically, they need a young, long-term face of the franchise, the likes of which they have lacked since Joe Namath.
But the 2026 draft class only has one high-end quarterback prospect: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who is widely expected to be drafted by the Raiders with the first overall pick. A number of college passers decided to return to school for the 2026 season, leaving New York high and dry with the No. 2 selection.
The Jets would be best served by waiting until the quarterback-rich 2027 draft, in which the No. 1 pick will not be required to land an exciting young passer. In the meantime, though, they will need someone to pass the ball to Garrett Wilson, Mason Taylor, and Adonai Mitchell.
That ‘someone’ could very well be two players. The Jets could take a similar approach to their quarterback room as their stadium-mates did last year. The Giants signed both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston in free agency – which did not stop them from trading up into the first-round to draft Jaxson Dart – with the intention of letting the starting competition play out without too much pressure on any one player.
Of the available free agents, new Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich prefers a familiar face, per SNY’s Connor Hughes: Carson Wentz. The two worked together in Indianapolis in 2021 when Reich was the Colts’ head coach. He traded for Wentz despite his sharp regression in Philadelphia the year before, and the former No. 1 pick posted a resurgent season. The Colts moved on from Wentz the following offseason, though the split was driven more by the front office and ownership than by Reich and his coaching staff.
Geno Smith, who was released on Friday, is another option named by Hughes. So, too, is Jacoby Brissett, though he is still under contract with the Cardinals and they do not intend to move him. However, if Jimmy Garoppolo follows Mike LaFleur from Los Angeles to Arizona, Brissett could become available for the Jets.
The Jets have also been connected with veteran linebacker Alex Anzalone, but they are expected to have competition for his signature. They could then pivot to Micah McFadden, a 2022 fifth-rounder who started 35 games for the Giants in his first three NFL seasons but missed virtually all of 2025 due to a foot injury. The Jets have interest in McFadden, but so do the Giants, via both Hughes and ESPN’s Jordan Raanan. Depending on the state of his foot, the 26-year-old may need to consider a one-year, ‘prove-it’ deal, but interest from multiple teams could give him enough leverage for a better deal.