Jacoby Brissett spent the spring making a point by not showing up. The 33-year-old quarterback sat out most of Arizona's voluntary offseason work while his camp pushed for a new deal, betting that his 2025 season had earned him more than the $4.88 million base salary he was actually scheduled to make. On Sunday, Adam Schefter reported the two sides finally got it done.
Adam Schefter broke the news that Arizona and Brissett had agreed on a reworked contract after his offseason holdout.
Arizona and QB Jacoby Brissett, who skipped most of the team’s off-season program as he requested a new deal, reached agreement today on a reworked contract. Brissett was in the second year of a two-year deal that was scheduled to pay him $4.88 million in base salary.
The math behind the standoff was pretty simple. Brissett signed a two-year, $12.5 million deal last offseason as insurance behind Kyler Murray, then ended up starting 11 games and throwing for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns when Murray went down. For all that, he was still staring down a season with just $1.5 million guaranteed. That's the kind of gap that gets a veteran quarterback to skip OTAs.
Reports out of camp made clear this wasn't a quick handshake deal. ESPN had described the sides as 'significantly' apart just weeks ago, with Arizona reportedly favoring a modest bump closer to $7 million while Brissett's camp eyed the $11 million range other veteran backups like Justin Fields and Kirk Cousins had landed. The new deal reportedly checks in at 1 year and $15.5 million, with incentives that could push it as high as $21 million — starting quarterback money for a guy currently penciled in as Murray's backup.
ESPN's Jeff Fowler confirmed the agreement, echoing Schefter's report that Brissett is back in the fold as camp opens.
RT @JFowlerESPN: The Cardinals and quarterback Jacoby have reached agreement on a new deal, per source. Arizona’s 2025 starter back in the…
Getting this sorted before training camp matters more than it might look. Brissett is Arizona's break-glass option behind Murray, and after last year's extended run as the starter, the Cardinals didn't want a repeat of a disgruntled backup showing up late or checked out. A properly paid, fully invested Brissett is worth a lot more to this locker room than a guy nursing a grudge all season.
For Brissett, this is the payoff for actually playing well when his number got called. Backup quarterbacks rarely get to leverage a strong spot start into real money, but an 11-start season with 23 touchdowns gave him the ammunition to sit out camp and push for it. Arizona blinked first, and now everyone shows up to camp on the same page.