Jacoby Brissett helped lead the Cardinals to a win last night and continued to guide the offense in a way which invited questions about a change atop the quarterback depth chart. Head coach Jonathan Gannon shut those down, but a change of heart may have quickly taken place.

Brissett will in fact continue in his position as Arizona’s QB1, Gannon announced on Tuesday. It remains to be seen if Kyler Murray will be healthy in time for Week 10, but even in that event he will dress as the team’s backup. That would of course represent a major development.

Arizona’s offense has not matched expectations with Murray at the helm. By contrast, the unit has delivered more consistent performances during Brissett’s starts. Gannon’s comments about no permanent swap being considered came as little surprise given the team’s financial commitment to Murray. The former No. 1 pick is under contract through 2028 on a pact which averages $46.1MM per year. Spending any time on the bench while healthy would no doubt lead to a spike in speculation about his Cardinals future.

Gannon noted Murray continues to recover, leaving the door open to him being able to dress in Week 10. The 28-year-old faces the risk of reaggravating his foot injury in the event he returns to action too quickly, however. As such, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports a timeline of four to eight weeks remains in place after consultations with multiple doctors. Surgery is not under consideration, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network adds.

Gannon has repeatedly spoken glowingly about Murray, who is already owed $36.8MM in guarantees for next season. Similarly, his 2027 salary will vest this coming March. By that point, a clearer picture will emerge regarding Murray’s status in terms of his health and his standing with the franchise. The two-time Pro Bowler has started each of his 88 combined regular and postseason appearances to date.

Brissett, 32, has seen time with six NFL teams over the course of his career. He has posted strong numbers (102.5 passer rating, 6:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio) this season while overseeing the Cardinals’ offense. It remains to be seen if that will continue on a permanent basis, but in addition to Murray’s progress in recovery it will be worth monitoring how the team operates when both of its passers are healthy.

The Cardinals are not planning to keep Jacoby Brissett at quarterback after Kyler Murray returns from injury.

Murray has missed Arizona’s last three games with a foot injury. The offense has looked better with Brissett under center, averaging five more points per game in his starts compared to Murray’s. Brissett has three straight games with at least 260 passing yards and two touchdowns; Murray has none.

That has led to questions about the Cardinals sticking with Brissett after Murray comes back, but head coach Jonathan Gannon shut such talk down on Monday night.

“Nothing’s changed on that,” Gannon said (via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss) when asked about making a change at quarterback.

However, the Cardinals have not found much success under Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort since they were hired together in 2023. They did not draft Murray or sign him to his current contract extension, and could be looking to find a different long-term quarterback that meshes better with their vision for the team.

It would still seem to be unwise for the Cardinals to bench Murray this year. Such a move could be an alarming sign to other teams and drop his trade value in the offseason, and he has enough guaranteed money remaining on his deal to make an outright release uncomfortable for Arizona’s salary cap.

It is also fair to wonder if Murray has been put in the best position to succeed. His results were much better with Kliff Kingsbury calling the offense rather than current OC Tommy Rees, and the Cardinals have not consistently had a strong offensive line since drafting Murray. The Cardinals seem to be approaching a major decision point regarding Murray’s future, but they seem unlikely to bench him before making that call.

After he missed back-to-back games with a foot injury, it appeared that Cardinals starting quarterback Kyler Murray would return Monday in Dallas. That will not be the case, however, as head coach Jonathan Gannon announced on Saturday that Jacoby Brissett will start in Week 9. (via ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss).

Murray suffered a version of a Lisfranc injury in a Week 5 loss to the Titans. A Week 8 bye was not enough for the former No. 1 pick to get back to game-readiness, so his veteran backup will get the nod for the third game in a row.

“He’s just not ready to go yet,” Gannon said of Murray, clarifying that his absence is purely health-related.

Gannon also indicated that Murray could still have a “role” on Monday, but that seems to be as more of an emergency option, according to team reporter Darren Urban. Kedon Slovis is the only other QB on the Cardinals’ roster.

A stint on injured reserve is not under consideration at the moment, meaning Murray may be ready for a Week 10 meeting with the NFC West rival Seahawks. Though the Cardinals have lost both of their games without Murray, they went 2-3 in his starts and Brissett has outpaced him statistically.

Murray has completed 68.3% of attempts with six touchdowns against three interceptions this year, but his 6.0 YPA and 88.6 passer rating have underwhelmed. The dual threat has added 173 yards (6.0 YPC) and another touchdown on the ground. Brissett, meanwhile, helped the Cardinals put up fights against high-level opponents in the Colts and Packers over the previous couple of weeks. He combined to go 52-for-80 (65%) for 599 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick, also chipping in 47 rushing yards on 10 attempts.

So far, the Cardinals have gotten plenty of bang from their buck from Brissett since signing him to a two-year, $12.5MM contract in free agency last offseason. The journeyman will have a chance to impress again while facing a Dallas team that ranks 31st in pass defense and and points per game allowed. The Brissett-led Cardinals will look to take advantage of that and snap a five-game losing streak. Remarkably, all of their defeats have come by four or fewer points.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

OCT. 12: Brissett will start on Sunday. Murray is inactive, the team announced.

OCT. 11: The door is open to Kyler Murray handling quarterback duties for the Cardinals this week. As things stand, however, it is unlikely that will be the case.

Jacoby Brissett is expected to get the nod on Sunday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler. Brissett has made a pair of appearances this season, his debut campaign in Arizona. He has yet to make a start for his latest team, though.

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Barring an unforeseen development, that will change tomorrow. Murray is still a possibility in terms of suiting up, but he was limited in practice on Friday after missing the previous two days. The former No. 1 pick’s foot ailment is a version of a Lisfranc injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. As a result, Murray’s absence may not be limited to one game. His status will certainly be one to watch closely.

As of yesterday, the Cardinals were uncertain of their Week 6 starter; that left the team to craft plans for both Murray and Brissett. The latter is now in position to take on QB1 responsibilities for at least one week, however. Brissett has 53 starts and 83 appearances to his name. That includes a four-year spell with the Colts; Arizona will play Indianapolis in Week 6.

That Indy tenure included starting duties for two seasons. Brissett has also seen a multi-game run atop the depth chart with the Browns in 2022 while filling in for the suspended Deshaun Watson and at the start of last year before the Patriots handed the reins over to Drake Maye. The 32-year-old has not managed to post a winning record during any of his QB1 runs, but he will be counted on to keep Arizona’s offense afloat for at least one contest.

The Cardinals opened the season with two straight one-score wins, but they have lost three straight contests on game-ending field goals. Murray will be counted on to continue playing a central role in the efforts to reach the postseason when healthy, but his recovery process will determine the point at which he is back to full strength. It would come as little surprise if the Cardinals proceeded with caution in terms of his return to action given Murray’s status as their franchise passer (something all-but confirmed past the current campaign through his contract structure).

The 4-1 Colts have started out N0. 3 in the league in terms of points allowed this season. However, new DC Lou Anarumo‘s unit sits just 19th against the pass and injuries in the secondary remain a concern. That group will look to improve beginning tomorrow against a shorthanded Cardinals offense.

OCTOBER 10: Murray returned to practice on Friday, per Cardinals senior writer Darren Urban. He is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.

OCTOBER 9: With starting quarterback Kyler Murray dealing with a foot injury, the Cardinals are preparing for him or backup Jacoby Brissett to start in Week 6 in Indianapolis, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Murray went down in Arizona’s Week 5 matchup with the Titans, but returned to finish the game. He then missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, throwing his status for Sunday’s matchup with the Colts into doubt. Even if he practices Friday, he will be a “close call,” per Fowler, indicating that the Cardinals may be making a game-time decision on their starting quarterback.

During a 2-3 start for the Cardinals, Murray has completed 68.3 percent of passes for 962 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.

As the dual threat continues distancing himself from the torn ACL he suffered in 2022, Murray made it clear during the offseason that he planned to run more this year. The 28-year-old has done just that, having averaged just under six rushes per game while amassing 173 yards (6.0 YPC) and a score. He posted an eye-popping 7.3 yards per rush last year during his first 17-game slate, though he did that on fewer than five attempts per contest.

With Murray relying so much on his mobility (he’s a career 3,000-yard rusher with 32 TDs on the ground), a foot injury is less than ideal and could lead the Cardinals to start Brissett on Sunday. The well-traveled veteran, 32, made the Cardinals the sixth organization of his career when he signed a two-year pact with them in the offseason.

Since debuting in 2016, Brissett has made 53 starts, including five with the Patriots in 2024. He connected on 59% of passes for 826 yards, two TDs, and a pick last year.

If Brissett plays this week, he’ll be facing one of his former teams. A Colt from 2017-20, Brissett took over as their starter when Andrew Luck abruptly retired in August 2019. The Brissett-led Colts went 7-9 that season. Six years since Luck stepped away, the Colts still haven’t found a franchise QB, though offseason free agent addition Daniel Jones has surprisingly played like one during a 4-1 start in 2025.

While Jones and the Colts are coming off a 40-6 rout of the Raiders, the Cardinals have dropped three in a row by a combined five points. They’ll hope Brissett can help turn their fortunes around if Murray is unable to play.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.