The Ravens are making the quarterback move they needed, but not in time for Thursday night.
Baltimore is finalizing a trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, after losing Lamar Jackson for maybe the remainder of the 2026 regular season and with Tyler Huntley also set to miss the rest of 2026. It’s the kind of addition that makes sense on paper for a team suddenly thin at the most important spot on the field.
But for Week 9, it won’t change a thing.
Joe Fagnano is still lined up to start for Baltimore against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, and that was always the plan for this week before the Brissett deal surfaced. The timing simply doesn’t work out for the Ravens to get Brissett in place and ready to go before kickoff.
“Trade: the Arizona Cardinals are finalizing a trade to send QB Jacoby Brissett, per @RapSheet and me,” Schefter reports. “Deal is expected to be completed this weekend.”
That means the Ravens will have to ride with Fagnano against Jacksonville, even though Brissett is expected to become the answer at quarterback once the trade is completed. After Week 8, the Cardinals had moved Brissett to their third-string role, with Gardner Minshew taking over as the starter and Carson Beck becoming the QB2, making Brissett available.
So while Baltimore is clearly trying to stabilize the position and stay in the playoff hunt, this particular move won’t help them on Thursday night. Brissett is slated to start for the Ravens in Week 10, not Week 9.
In Other News...
Jaguars Trade Buzz Just Raised A Bigger Brian Thomas Jr Question
With the trade deadline approaching, the Jaguars are being mentioned in the same breath as several teams trying to sort out what they need most and what they might be willing to move. Jacksonville is still looking for help on the defensive line, but the latest buzz has also put wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. into the conversation, which is a notable twist for a team that would normally be expected to build around a young pass catcher like him.
The report does not point to any deal being close, and it is based on insider conversations rather than finalized movement, but it does raise a bigger question about how aggressive Jacksonville wants to be. If the Jaguars are listening on a player with Thomas' profile while also shopping for defensive line help, it suggests the front office may be weighing more than one path as the deadline nears, even as other AFC South teams like the Colts and Titans sort through their own trade calculus. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Get A Huge Thursday Night Twist From Baltimores QB Mess
The quarterback picture in Baltimore has turned into a major storyline for the Jaguars upcoming matchup, with Tyler Huntley done for the season after a turf toe injury and Lamar Jackson now sidelined on injured reserve following thumb surgery. What had already been a complicated week for the Ravens got even more unsettled when the team had to reshuffle its depth chart and keep building out emergency options behind center.
For Jacksonville, the immediate takeaway is simple: the opponent the Jaguars prepare for now looks very different from the one they expected. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano has been named the starter for Thursday night, while Baltimore also added Kedon Slovis as the backup and Austin Reed to the practice squad, leaving the Ravens with a quarterback room that suddenly looks thin and unfamiliar heading into a short-week game. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Suddenly Have A Shot At A Defensive Star Arizona Hates To Lose
The trade deadline chatter around Budda Baker has put a familiar name back into the league-wide conversation, and it is the kind of development that always gets attention from teams looking for help in the middle of a season. According to ESPNs Jeremy Fowler, the Cardinals safety is viewed as a potential trade candidate, with clubs such as the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars among the teams that could be interested if Arizona decides to listen.
For Jacksonville, it is another reminder that the deadline can still bring an unexpected opportunity if the right player becomes available. Arizona is also being linked to other possible trade considerations, including Josh Sweat and Jacoby Brissett, as the organization sorts through contract situations and a changing roster picture, but nothing has been finalized and these remain only reports for now. [Read more 🡒]