Cardinals and Brissett resolve contract standoff with $15.5m guarantee
The restructuring resolves a dispute that saw Brissett miss voluntary offseason activities, with no additional years added to the deal before his impending free agency.
The Arizona Cardinals and quarterback Jacoby Brissett have finalised a reworked contract arrangement, securing a guaranteed $15.5 million for the 2026 season. The agreement, which carries a potential total value of $21 million when incentives are included, brings an end to a period of uncertainty that saw the quarterback absent from key team obligations.
The restructuring was reported by ESPN on Sunday, following Brissett’s absence from the team’s voluntary offseason program and his holdout from mandatory minicamp. Brissett had utilised these absences to negotiate changes to his existing terms, seeking a more favourable financial structure before committing to the upcoming season.
Under the new terms, Brissett’s guaranteed compensation represents a significant increase from the $4.88 million base salary scheduled under the second year of his previous two-year contract. The deal does not extend his tenure with the franchise, as no new years were added to the agreement. Consequently, Brissett remains under contract for the current season only and is scheduled to become a free agent following the conclusion of the 2026 campaign.
The resolution of the contract dispute coincides with Brissett’s return to team activities. He participated in the Cardinals’ first training camp practice on Thursday, marking his first appearance since the holdout began. Brissett is currently the presumptive starting quarterback under new head coach Mike LaFleur, who is overseeing the team’s transition into the new season.
Brissett enters this final year of his contract with a track record of performance from the previous season. In 14 games, including 12 starts, he recorded 3,366 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. The specific conditions required to unlock the full $21 million potential of the reworked deal were not detailed in the initial reports.
