Jacoby Brissett has already handed Rams fans another easy punchline when it comes to the Cardinals.
The Los Angeles Rams spent the offseason loading up and putting the rest of the NFL on notice, but the NFC West still isn’t a walk-through. The Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers remain in the way. Arizona, though, has become the division’s afterthought for plenty of people.
That’s not exactly helping the Cardinals’ image this summer. After moving on from Kyler Murray, Arizona pieced together a quarterback room that includes Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck. It’s the kind of setup that invites skepticism before camp even starts.
Brissett didn’t do much to ease that feeling on Sunday when he met with local media in Arizona and was asked how he’s picking up the team’s new offense, run by former Rams friend Mike LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
“Oh, hell no,” Brissett replied."I think we just ran all Day 1 plays out there for me today. So, I got a long way to go."
That’s a rough answer for a Cardinals team that already looks well behind the rest of the NFC West. Arizona has a preseason game on August 6, and it needs every rep it can get. Hearing the starting quarterback say he has “a long way to go” is hardly what anyone in that building wanted to hear.
The larger picture around the Cardinals hasn’t helped either. They let Murray go, brought in a divisional rival’s non-play-calling offensive coordinator, watched good players leave in free agency and didn’t add any veterans who really move the needle. Brissett’s admission just adds another layer to an offseason that has already been tough to defend.
Brissett’s deal is only for one year and $15.5 million, so this is a short-term setup no matter how it looks in July. If Beck doesn’t emerge as the long-term answer, Arizona will almost certainly be shopping for a quarterback early in the 2027 draft.
That doesn’t mean the Cardinals have to be hopeless in 2026. But Brissett’s comments make it clear how far they still have to go before they look like a team ready to compete on even ground.
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