Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett and the team reached agreement on a reworked contract that guarantees him more than fifteen million dollars this season, with a chance to earn additional money through incentives, according to people familiar with the deal.
The agreement did not add any extra years onto his existing contract, meaning Brissett remains on track to become an unrestricted free agent once this season concludes. According to sources close to the situation, extending the length of the deal was never really the goal from Brissett’s side to begin with.
How the coaching staff reacted to the new deal
Head coach Mike LaFleur expressed relief that the negotiation reached a conclusion, describing the process as productive and expressing satisfaction that it wrapped up before it dragged on any further into camp. Brissett took part in full team reps for the first time this training camp on the day the deal was finalized, and the coaching staff confirmed he would begin working with the starting offense once the team returned from its scheduled day off.
LaFleur stopped short of naming Brissett the guaranteed Week 1 starter, saying only that he would begin receiving first team reps going forward.
What the new numbers mean for Brissett
With this adjustment, Brissett now ranks as the fourth lowest paid starting caliber quarterback in the league in terms of actual take home salary, moving up slightly from where his original contract had positioned him. That original deal, signed the previous year, had been set to pay him a modest base salary with only a small guaranteed portion attached.
A tense road to get the deal done
Brissett had skipped voluntary offseason workouts entirely and only partially participated during mandatory minicamp before eventually reporting to training camp, though he was limited to individual drills rather than full team work during that stretch. He described the situation candidly, acknowledging the business side of the sport creates its own kind of pressure separate from what happens on the field, while expressing relief that the process had finally concluded.
Negotiations reportedly remained far apart as recently as several months earlier, with limited progress even in the weeks immediately preceding training camp. Brissett, who negotiates without a traditional agent but works with a small team of advisors, described the process as difficult at points, admitting it grew genuinely stressful at times. He said maintaining self respect and staying honest with everyone involved helped him push through the more difficult stretches, adding that staying in contact with teammates during his absence helped him still feel connected to the team.
What comes next for Brissett and the Cardinals
Should Brissett ultimately open the season as Arizona’s starting quarterback, he would become just the twelfth quarterback in the modern era to make a season opening start for four or more different franchises, according to research compiled on the subject. Last season, he appeared in the majority of Arizona’s games, throwing for well over three thousand yards with more than twenty touchdown passes against a relatively low interception total, numbers that likely played a role in the front office’s decision to prioritize keeping him in the fold for one more season.
