Sportsnaut
The league’s most awkward holdout is finally in the rearview. The Arizona Cardinals and Jacoby Brissett have agreed to a reworked deal for the 2026 season, ending a contract standoff that dragged deep into training camp. Just like that, Arizona has its veteran QB insurance policy locked in.
Brissett’s new deal bumps him into starter-level pay for 2026. While he still won’t crack the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback tier, incentives give him a shot to climb out of the basement and cash in if he’s forced into action.
Related: Arizona Cardinals Slows Down Jeremiyah Love Hype Train: ‘Definitely a Rookie’
Brissett and the Cardinals finally found common ground, agreeing to a reworked one-year deal worth $15.5 million fully guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on X. The agreement ends a brief but awkward training camp standoff after the veteran quarterback skipped 11-on-11 drills during the opening days of camp. If Brissett hits his incentives, the contract could be worth as much as $21 million. The new deal doesn’t add any extra years, meaning he’ll still hit unrestricted free agency after the 2026 season.
The raise is a massive jump from Brissett’s original contract. He was previously set to earn a $4.9 million base salary with a $1.8 million prorated signing bonus, carrying a $9.2 million cap hit. Any extra cap charges from the revised deal will eat into Arizona’s rollover cap space for next offseason, but the Cardinals clearly felt keeping their veteran QB happy was worth the price.
Brissett stepped into the starting role last season after Kyler Murray‘s foot injury ended his campaign. In 14 appearances (12 starts), the 33-year-old completed 64.9% of his passes for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The wins, however, didn’t follow, as Arizona went 1-11 in his starts.
For his career, Brissett owns a 20-45 record as a starter, but the Cardinals aren’t paying him to be the face of the franchise. They’re investing in stability behind Murray while continuing to build around an emerging offensive core led by two-time Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride and rookie running back Jeremiyah Love.
Thanks to the reworked deal, Brissett’s average annual salary now ranks 19th among NFL quarterbacks, putting him ahead of several signal-callers still on rookie contracts, including No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza of the Raiders. More importantly, the contract brings an end to a distracting camp storyline and allows Arizona to move forward with its quarterback room fully intact.
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