The Arizona Cardinals may be heading toward one of the strangest trade ideas on the board before the NFL’s Nov. 10 deadline, and it involves a quarterback who once held their starting job.
Jacoby Brissett is no longer Arizona’s starter after head coach Mike LaFleur officially turned the offense over to Gardner Minshew, with Carson Beck now listed behind him as QB2. That leaves Brissett in the emergency role, and with the deadline a week away, he looks like a player the Cardinals could move.
Minnesota has emerged as a possible landing spot. Even with a 6-1 record, the Vikings have not gotten much going offensively with Kyler Murray at quarterback, and with J.J. McCarthy out of the picture, they could look outside the building for help.
Brissett would fit the profile of a low-cost veteran option. He’s on an expiring contract, and a deal would likely require only a modest draft pick to get done.
Vikings On SI’s Trevor Ripley pointed to Brissett as a real possibility, writing:
"After an impressive 2025 season with 23 touchdowns to just eight picks, Brissett hasn’t looked as sharp in 2026, with seven interceptions already. If the Cards do opt to roll with Minshew moving forward, Brissett could likely be had for a late Day 3 pick," he wrote.
"Brissett may not move the needle enough for the Vikings, although he does have four games this year with at least 270 passing yards. Head coach Kevin O’Connell’s system clearly isn’t super adaptable either, so even though getting a capable passer for a relatively low price could be interesting, learning this offense to a point of making a difference feels like a steep mountain to climb."
Brissett originally came to Arizona as Murray’s backup before the 2025 season. Murray was injured in Week 5 and never returned, and Brissett played well enough the rest of the way to keep Arizona committed to him entering 2026.
After the season, the Cardinals cut Murray and took on a major cap hit, which opened the door for Murray to join Minnesota on a cheap one-year deal.
The Vikings’ offense has been struggling by the numbers, sitting near the bottom of the league in total yards per game at 279.4, which ranks 29th, and points per game at 20.0, which ranks 27th. Murray’s QBR of 44.7 ranks 26th among NFL quarterbacks.
It would be a bizarre twist if Brissett ended up in Minnesota, but the league has seen stranger things.
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