Brissett reports to Cardinals minicamp as holdout ends, even as a contract update remains out of reach

Arizona’s contract standoff with Jacoby Brissett looks to be ending on the field, at least for now. Multiple reports indicate the quarterback has returned to team activities and will participate in mandatory minicamp, putting an immediate halt to the holdout that carried through parts of the Cardinals’ offseason program.

In practical terms, showing up for minicamp matters because the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement allows meaningful fines for players who fail to report to required offseason workouts. Reports around the situation indicate Brissett avoided that scenario by reporting ahead of or during the mandatory window, even though the underlying contract negotiations were still not finalized.

The Cardinals and Brissett have been at odds over compensation and structure. Brissett entered the second year of a two-year agreement signed in March 2025, and reporting during mandatory minicamp suggests he is willing to move forward with the current terms while the conversation about a reworked deal continues. According to reporting, the current contract pays Brissett $4.88 million with the possibility of increasing to $5.39 million, and only $1.5 million is guaranteed.

Brissett is expected to be the Cardinals’ starter after last season’s production, and that context helps explain why the holdout carried weight. Arizona is building a new offensive picture under its current staff, and the quarterback is central to everything that follows, from timing with receivers to the play-calling rhythm that develops in the early phase of training camp. Without him, those reps either disappear or get redistributed among other options.

Arizona’s quarterback room has changed significantly around him. The Cardinals released Kyler Murray, signed Gardner Minshew II in free agency, and drafted Carson Beck in the third round in a move that added a long-term piece to the position group. Brissett’s return does not eliminate the competition or the long-range planning, but it does stabilize the immediate workflow as the team prepares for the next phase of the calendar.

The on-field baseline from last season also raises the stakes of getting chemistry in place quickly. In 12 starts for Arizona, Brissett threw for 3,366 yards with 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, production that gave the Cardinals a reason to believe their quarterback play can carry into the season. If his holdout extended the time without full-team timing work, that gap becomes harder to make up later, especially once the schedule tightens and training camp turns physical.

Still, the contract piece is likely to remain a storyline to watch. Brissett’s decision to report without a finalized deal implies the negotiation is entering a more conditional phase rather than being fully resolved. Over the coming days and weeks, the key question will be whether the Cardinals can wrap up a restructuring quickly enough to remove friction, or whether the quarterback will continue operating under the existing framework while the sides revisit terms before the season.

For Arizona, the bigger implication is that its offseason identity now hinges on consistency. Mandatory minicamp participation helps ensure the Cardinals can move forward with installation and roster integration rather than repeatedly adjusting plans around a sudden return. Whether the contract situation smooths out or not, the team will want Brissett working with the first unit as much as possible, because the preseason version of the offense typically reflects the amount of trust built during spring and early summer.