General manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Mike LaFleur of the Arizona Cardinals
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TEMPE, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 03: New Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur (L) speaks as general manager Monti Ossenfort looks o during a press conference at Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center on February 03, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
In the aftermath of the first day of free agency, Arizona Cardinals fans may be less than pleased with the team’s moves.
This may be true, especially regarding the quarterback position. While heavily expected to release Kyler Murray, which they did, they missed out on Malik Willis.
Because of this, they signed Gardner Minshew II, holding onto incumbent quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Could they still have more work to do at the position?
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported that the Cardinals may not be done and could trade Brissett.
In that case, Minshew would start. However, that is unlikely at this point.
Florio floated another name that could start for Arizona.
Who Did Florio Say Could Start for the Arizona Cardinals?
According to Florio, former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins could be an option for the Cardinals.
“He will be cut on Wednesday,” Florio wrote. “He will be available to any team. And as LaFleur tries to install his offense, he’ll want a quarterback who can run it.”
“It would be interesting to see Cousins in the same division as McVay and Shanahan, playing both of them twice per year. Cousins needs a landing spot. He needs a place where he’ll be the starter. In Arizona, he would be.”
Cousins is coming off a rough stretch of two seasons with the Falcons after signing a huge free-agent contract.
In 24 games (22 starts), Cousins threw for 28 touchdowns and a whopping 21 interceptions, including a league-leading 16 in 2024.
Cousins, however, is an incredibly experienced NFL quarterback that a young signal caller could learn from. If the Cardinals do select one early in the 2026 NFL Draft, he could mentor a young quarterback.
Cousins has experience with Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system, which the new Cardinals coach, Mike LaFleur, models his own after. Cousins also has extensive time with Sean McVay, whom LaFleur learned from for years.
The fit is obviously there for Cousins.
While he would be the unquestioned starter in Arizona, is it really worth it for Arizona?
Why Would Monti Ossenfort Do This?
So why would it get done? This is the opposite of what Arizona seems to be going for. With no current contingency plan at quarterback and a weak draft, there may be little point in signing a potentially high-priced veteran to compete and/or mentor a young quarterback.
Cousins is entering his age-38 season and is certainly near the end of his career. What use could the Cardinals have for him?
While Brissett is not a quarterback who is going to singlehandedly win you a lot of games, you at least know what you’re getting from him.
Cousins has shown elite ability as recently as 2023, making three Pro Bowls with the Minnesota Vikings from 2019-2022.
Working with a talented receiving group consisting of Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Trey McBride, it’s possible he could revive his career in the desert. But at this stage of Arizona’s rebuild, why would they want to sink more capital into a short-term fix?
All this will become clearer as free agency progresses.