The Arizona Cardinals are not currently in an ideal position.
The team has not been to the playoffs since 2021 and has not won a playoff game since 2015. Head coach Jonathan Gannon was fired this offseason, and longtime starting quarterback Kyler Murray was cut after a disappointing 2025 season.
Now, the team heads forward with one of the least talented rosters in the league and no clear direction. There are plenty of needs on this roster, but there is one that stands above the rest- quarterback.
Caio Miari of The Score recently identified quarterback as the Cardinals' biggest need and offered the following analysis:
This is an obvious one, as Arizona parted ways with 2019 No. 1 pick Kyler Murray this offseason. The problem for the Cardinals is that it doesn't make sense for them to reach for a quarterback at No. 3 overall. But they're still likely to add a rookie to a group that's currently headlined by veterans Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew.
As Miari mentioned, the Cardinals currently have Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew as the top two options at quarterback. That's not exactly the most inspiring position to be in, and there's no clear path to landing a true franchise passer, either.
The Cardinals own the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft, which usually would mean the team would be in position to land a top rookie passer. However, this class only has one quarterback (Fernando Mendoza) thought of as a top pick, and he's considered a lock to be taken No. 1 overall.
What will the Cardinals do at quarterback?
We know the Cardinals won't be in position to take Mendoza, so what will they do?
Ty Simpson is probably the second-best quarterback prospect, but he's expected to be a late first-round pick. Could the Cardinals trade down from the No. 3 pick? It's possible, but there has to be a team that WANTS to trade up, and it's unclear if that will be the case.
The team could also wait until a later round to select a passer in the draft. However, would a mid-round rookie immediately be an improvement over Brissett or Minshew? Probably not. Even if the Cardinals did find a quarterback they like later in the draft, it usually takes a season or two for quarterbacks to develop.
As a result, it seems likely that the Cardinals will roll with the veteran tandem of Brissett and Minshew. The team will likely draft a quarterback at some point, but don't expect that rookie to factor into the starting competition in 2026.
With Brissett and Minshew starting, the Cardinals will almost certainly be bad again in 2026. Then, in what is supposed to be a better 2027 class, the team will have another top pick and the ability to draft a true franchise-changing passer.
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