Andrew Buller-Russ
Heading into the offseason, Arizona Cardinals rumors were running wild that they were planning to move on from Kyler Murray. While the Cardinals were surely hoping a trade would surface, the cat was already out of the bag. No one was going to trade for a player who was expected to be released.
Sure enough, the Cardinals eventually did bite the bullet and cut their franchise quarterback loose. But that left a massive hole at the game’s most important position with a new head coach, Mike LaFleur, taking over. Now, the question is, who will the Cardinals turn to as their next starting QB?
Jacoby Brissett is coming off a career year, but that wasn’t with LaFleur calling the shots. Did the 33-year-old Brissett unlock something special in his 10th season of play? It’s possible, but the Cardinals still went just 1-11 with him leading the charge.
As a result of Murray’s release, the Cardinals also signed another QB, Gardner Minshew, who is a one-time Pro Bowler, but is also 29 years old and attempted just 13 passes last season. Yet, Minshew apparently wasn’t the Cardinals’ first option this offseason.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the Cardinals reportedly had interest in signing two-time Super Bowl winner (as a backup) Jimmy Garoppolo. Yet, Florio reports that talks between the Cardinals and Garoppolo “hit a snag.” That caused them to pivot to signing Minshew to an affordable one-year contract worth up to $5.75 million.
Yet, despite the Cardinals seemingly moving on, Florio adds that “it’s still possible Garoppolo could supplant Brissett” in Arizona. Of course, with Garoppolo still unsigned in free agency, that option remains open, especially if he’s prioritizing a chance to start.
Otherwise, the best option remaining may be for Jimmy G to return to the Rams, where he’s spent the past two seasons as the primary backup to Matthew Stafford. However, Garoppolo is familiar with the Cardinals’ new head coach, who was his offensive coordinator for the past two seasons in Los Angeles.
Perhaps their relationship can help rekindle contract talks, but the Cardinals may be eyeing a younger option to add to their depth chart rather than a trio of veterans with limited upside.
Related: Predicting Landing Spots for 5 Best NFL Quarterbacks Available
