The Arizona Cardinals will have a different feel next season after firing Jonathan Gannon and hiring Mike LaFleur as their head coach. The Cardinals could also be moving on from franchise quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason.
If the Cardinals do cut ties with Murray, who’s set to have a $52.6 million cap hit in 2026, they’ll have to add another arm to their QB room. For now, Jacoby Brissett is set to return, possibly even as the starter after a career year where he threw for 3,366 passing yards and 23 touchdowns in just 12 starts. The only other QB on the roster (besides Murray) is 2024 undrafted free agent signee Kedon Slovis.
Thus, it’s not a matter of if the Cardinals add another QB to the roster; it’s more of a question of who, when, and how.
Though, now Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opened up speculation about the Cardinals signing Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
“Currently, it’s believed that the Steelers will be the only viable option for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2026. But what about the Cardinals? The most obvious link is offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. The Broncos hired him to be the head coach in 2022, at a time when it was believed the Packers would be ready to trade Rodgers.”
The connections to the future Hall of Fame QB are strong in Arizona. In addition to Hackett, coach LaFleur’s brother, Matt, was Rodgers’ head coach for four seasons in Green Bay. Florio adds that the Rams (Mike LaFleur’s former team) had Rodgers tabbed as their “Plan B” in case Matthew Stafford left last offseason.
Are those connections strong enough to lure Rodgers to a team that finished in last place of their division with a 3-14 record in 2025? We could find out soon enough, but the Steelers are expected to have a mutual interest in bringing Rodgers back for another year too, which could help drive the QB’s price up in free agency.
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