The Arizona Cardinals are heading into training camp with two quarterback contract battles still hanging over the roster, and both Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck want the same thing: more guaranteed money.
Arizona reports to State Farm Stadium tomorrow, July 22, but neither quarterback has a deal settled the way he wants it. Brissett and Beck are both waiting on the Cardinals to move, while Gardner Minshew and Kedon Slovis are the only other quarterbacks currently on the roster.
Brissett’s situation is the more immediate one. He’s under contract through the end of 2026, but he’s spent much of the offseason holding out in search of a reworked deal with more guarantees. NFL insider Ian Rapoport said the two sides remain stuck.
"The Arizona Cardinals do not have their starting quarterback under a contract he would want to play under," Rapoport said.
Brissett’s current deal includes just under $2 million in guarantees, a figure that sits well below what starting quarterbacks are getting around the league. Arizona reportedly told him this offseason that he would be the starter, and that set the tone for the contract talks.
If the sides do get something done, Brissett is expected to open the season as Arizona’s starter. Still, the expectation is that he won’t be the one finishing there, with Beck in the mix.
Beck, the Cardinals’ third-round pick, is also pushing for more guaranteed money. Because NFL rookie contracts outside the first round aren’t fully guaranteed, he’s trying to improve the structure of his deal at a premium position and, in the process, set a precedent for the future.
At this stage, the rookie scale system leaves language and guaranteed money as the main sticking points.
Beck’s holdout isn’t happening in isolation, either. All four quarterbacks selected in the first two days of the NFL Draft - Fernando Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Drew Allar and Beck - still haven’t signed.
The six remaining 2026 drafted rookies not yet under contract:• All 4 QBs taken in the first two days (Mendoza, Simpson, Beck, Allar)• Jermod McCoy, who was projected to be drafted much higher before injury concerns emerged• Gabe Jacas https://t.co/Cpjt5xFuqe
Of the two Cardinals quarterbacks, Beck is the more likely one to arrive for Day 1 without a new deal than Brissett. Even so, the question remains which side blinks first in each standoff.
Brissett is 33 and appears to be in what could be his final year in Arizona. Beck, meanwhile, could be part of the franchise’s future at quarterback.
There’s a different level of urgency attached to each deal, but the clock is still ticking. Arizona reports on July 22, and its first practice of the 2026 training camp session is set for July 23.
In Other News...
Former Jaguars Defender Josh Mauro's Death Report Raises Disturbing Questions
Josh Mauros death has taken on a darker edge in the weeks since the former NFL defensive end was found unresponsive at his Arizona home. The Phoenix Police Department case report adds troubling context to a loss that already hit close to home for football fans in the state, where Mauro spent multiple seasons with the Cardinals and carved out a role as a rotational lineman and occasional starter.
The report describes a night that ended after Mauro was partying with several women at his home, and his father later publicly announced the death in a prayerful statement about the familys loss. For an organization that knew him across two stints, the news is a sobering reminder of how quickly a life can unravel once the headlines move from the field to something far more personal. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Secondary Has The Talent But Camp Will Decide Everything
The Cardinals cornerback room has the look of a group that could be a real strength if everything comes together. There is talent at the top, with Denzel Burke and Will Johnson giving Arizona a pair of young corners to build around, and the depth behind them gives the staff options as training camp opens. The bigger question is not whether the unit has enough ability on paper. It is whether the group can stay on the field long enough to show it.
Health has been the common thread hanging over this secondary, and camp figures to tell the story of who can actually hold up over time. Burke already flashed enough as a rookie to suggest he can be more than just a rotational piece, while the rest of the room will be trying to carve out roles and prove the Cardinals can count on them when the season starts. If that happens, this could be a secondary that grows quickly. If it does not, Arizona may be forced to keep searching for answers well beyond August. [Read more 🡒]