One of the advantages LaFleur sold to reporters was Brissett’s experience, a positive attribute Minshew can also claim thanks to his seven years between Jacksonville, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Kansas City. Minshew also knows LaFleur from the time they spent together at the Senior Bowl in 2019, when Minshew was entering the NFL from Washington State.
The way LaFleur sees it, those advantages should help the coach and his quarterback hit the ground running in 2026.
“You’re not teaching a man how to play football,” LaFleur said of Brissett. “Jacoby knows how to play football. Now we’re just teaching him our system.”
Many have probably wondered why Arizona would move on from a former quarterback in Murray when the club was transitioning to a new coaching staff. In short, the Cardinals wanted a fresh start, so much so that they willingly accepted a $46.5 million cap hit in 2026 just to part with Murray.
“We had discussions (about keeping Murray) and we will continue to do so,” LaFleur said. “You name it, we were talking about it. The quarterback position is the most important position in all of sports. We know that. There were long conversations in so many different aspects of it and there will continue to be until we know we have the most complete room possible.”
Brissett and Minshew exist as the preferred bridge backs, though it appears LaFleur is content to enter 2026 with Brissett as the top pick. But that shouldn’t stop the Cardinals from exploring another addition or two next month, even if the 2026 quarterback draft doesn’t contain much upper-level talent.
“Every room, if we can improve it, we’re going to try to improve it,” LaFleur said. “The boardroom all the way down to the kicking room.”
As a newly installed coach, LaFleur enjoys the time at his side. Arizona isn’t likely to pull the plug on him after a year unless it’s a complete disaster, meaning he and general manager Monti Ossenfort don’t need to rush to find a solution under center.
They’ll be hoping their 2026 plan delivers enough to keep fans content until a better alternative comes along.