TEMPE — Experience. That’s been one of the main words most associated with Arizona Cardinals rookie quarterback Carson Beck.
Six college seasons and 55 games at two different programs will certainly have that effect. So will the fact that Beck and four-year pro Paris Johnson Jr. were on the same official visit to Georgia coming out of high school.
And while there have been some negative connotations attached to Beck’s lengthy college career, it’s all a part of his own journey.
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“Everyone’s got to run their race. Mine was obviously a little bit different where I did stay in college a little bit longer. That was obviously not the plan when I was 17-18 years old going into college,” Beck said during his introductory press conference on Thursday.
“I would’ve loved to start as a freshman, play three years and get (to the NFL) as quick as possible. But I do feel like my process and the experiences I went through will bode well for me in the future.”
One of the biggest experiences Beck went through was making the move from Georgia, a place he started for two seasons, to Miami this past season.
On top of having to pick up a new offense and get to know his new teammates, the quarterback was also stuck rehabbing a torn UCL. Despite the added adversity, he managed to lead the Hurricanes to a national championship appearance.
Head coach Mike LaFleur spoke highly of Beck overcoming adversity in college. Last year was a good example of that.
Now, it’s on Beck to use the lessons learned over his college career. It’s one thing to go through it. It’s another to grow from it.
In case you haven’t heard, Cardinals rookie QB Carson Beck has a ton of college experience.
And while he believes that can help him in a multitude of ways, “the experience is nothing if there’s no application from the lessons that you learned in the experiences.” pic.twitter.com/yjh8OIuyZq
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) May 7, 2026
“I think the experience obviously helps in a multitude of ways when it comes to being on the field, when it comes to picking up a playbook faster,” Beck said. “Having to learn the Miami playbook, I think kind of prepared me for this a little bit. Obviously, Georgia was my kind of baseline knowledge.
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“I was there for 5 years. I knew the playbook like the back of my hand. … But the experience is nothing if there’s no application from the lessons that you’ve learned from the experiences. If I can continue to apply the lessons I’ve learned from those experiences, I think it can help in a multitude of ways.”
It wasn’t just the on-the-field lessons picked up along the way, either.
“From just like a human perspective of who I am, my values, my beliefs, the lessons I’ve learned from the experiences I’ve been through … I’m in a much better position coming out now into this situation than compared to a situation if I would have come out after my first year starting,” he told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.
Some of those experiences should come in handy for Beck as he prepares for his first NFL quarterback competition.
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Jacoby Brissett may be the expected Week 1 starter with Gardner Minshew as his projected backup, but it’s only a matter of time before Beck finds himself under center with the starting unit.
There’s also the fact that Brissett has yet to be named the starter publicly as he asks for a raise and remains away from offseason work.
It’s going to come down to when Beck is ready, not if. And the sooner he can make his way up the depth chart, the more tape the Cardinals can gather as they decide on a long-term answer at the position.
Beck, however, isn’t getting too far ahead of himself.
“I think for me the most important thing is get in the building. I started meeting with the coaches and going over the playbook,” Beck said. “Learn the guys around me, build relationships, start to connect with them, be myself and then just go play ball. Have fun, enjoy the process. Just try to improve and get better each and every day. And if I could continue to do that, I think we’ll see where that takes me.”
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And as for continually taking away from his experiences, that’s not going away any time soon at the pro level.
If anything, it’s going to increase as Beck finds his bearings in Arizona.
“Even if I were to be the guy at some point, you are consistently and constantly learning just through game experience, through past experiences, meetings, just talking to guys around the facility,” Beck said. “Just trying to get all little breadcrumbs that I can from each and every person.
“Everybody wants to play football, especially at the position of quarterback. You want to be the guy out there. It’s such an interesting position and why I think it’s the best position on Earth. There’s only one guy out there. … but we’ll see where that takes me.”