Cardinals’ Jacoby Brissett to participate in training camp, ends offseason hold-in

There will be no training camp hold-in or holdout for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett as he continues to negotiate with the team on a new contract. Coach Mike LaFleur said Thursday that Brissett will practice on the first day of camp even though the sides have yet to reach a potential agreement on an extension.

Brissett’s attendance is significant considering he sat out of most of the Cardinals’ offseason program. It was not until the mandatory minicamp that the veteran reported to the team facility, but even then, he conducted a hold-in as a non-participant in practices.

When the Cardinals released Kyler Murray and elected not to replace their longtime starter with a free agent, Brissett became the de facto No. 1 option in the group. He started 12 games in 2025 when Murray sat due to a severe mid-foot sprain, making him the incumbent starter in a group that also includes journeyman backup Gardner Minshew and rookie third-round pick Carson Beck.

That role promotion from a No. 2 to the projected full-time starter is the crux of Brissett’s demand for an extension. He is in the second year of a two-year, $12.5 million contract, which gives him just the 32nd-largest average annual value at the quarterback position and places him behind multiple backups in scheduled earnings.

As the presumptive leader of a team that will rely heavily on him to avoid finishing with one of the NFL’s worst records, Brissett seeks to be valued more in line with fellow starters across the league.

“Still ongoing,” LaFleur said of the contract talks. “It’s been productive between us and his team.”

Cardinals have not formally named Brissett their starter

Limiting Brissett’s leverage in the negotiations is that the Cardinals have not officially named him the starter. When given the opportunity to do so on Thursday, LaFleur declined to say whether he is conducting an open competition or if the job belongs to Brissett.

“I’d describe it as Practice 1 on July 23,” LaFleur said.

Arizona could instead turn to Minshew, given that he holds 47 career starts and has been serviceable in stretches throughout his seven-year run with five different teams. The franchise also made a notable investment in Beck in selecting him in the third round, and it may want to see what the rookie can make of playing time. That the Cardinals figure to be well outside the playoff hunt gives them the latitude to hand the keys to Beck and determine whether he is a worthy building block for the future.

Still, Brissett likely gives the Cardinals the best chance to be competitive. Even though he went 1-11 as a starter last year, most of the team’s woes fell on the defense’s shoulders. Brissett himself ranked first in the NFL in completions, tied for third in passing touchdowns and third in total passing yards over the final nine weeks of the regular season.