ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano addressed it in their Week 4 buzz column, answering the question of whether more quarterbacks get traded beyond J.J. McCarthy this season.
"True! A lot of these situations are going to change drastically by midseason," Graziano wrote. "Jacoby Brissett could struggle and prompt the Cardinals to want to see third-round rookie Carson Beck, which could lead to Brissett or veteran backup Gardner Minshew II being dealt."
Fowler backed that up from a different angle. "Brissett could be a valuable trade asset if the Cardinals want to look at Beck later in the season," he wrote.
Why Beck Is The Whole Reason This Exists
Arizona used a third-round pick on Beck this offseason with the plan of letting him develop behind Brissett. A rib injury in the preseason changed that timeline before it ever got started, and Beck has been buried on the depth chart ever since, watching from behind both Brissett and Minshew.
Brissett has actually held up fine through Arizona's 1-2 start, ranking in the top 10 in the league in both pass attempts and completion percentage, even as the offense has struggled to generate explosive plays. Head coach Mike LaFleur doesn't put the blame on him specifically.
“It’s a process of finding more ways to get him the ball.”
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) September 30, 2026
Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett says Marvin Harrison Jr. made plays when called upon and they’re looking for more ways to involve him. pic.twitter.com/pp0ebEHOJw
But both Brissett and Minshew are playing on expiring contracts, set to hit free agency after this season regardless of what Arizona does. That math alone gives the Cardinals incentive to find out what they have in Beck before they lose that evaluation window for nothing.
Minshew in particular carries an interesting wrinkle of his own.
He played for Matt Nagy in Kansas City, and Nagy is now the Giants' offensive coordinator, giving New York a interesting fit if Arizona does decide to move him.
A Market That's Already Proven
Fowler's reporting isn't theoretical speculation pulled out of nowhere.
He set the over-under on total quarterbacks traded before the deadline at 2.5, pointing to a league that's already seen six established starters go down with injuries through just three weeks of the season.
Jacoby Brissett on Marv's lack of targets:
— SleeperCardinals (@SleeperAZCards) October 1, 2026
"Yeah, obviously, trying to find more ways to get him the ball. I thought he played pretty well last game... every time his number was called, he made the play. I threw it [to him] with the utmost confidence." 😬 pic.twitter.com/OW6nAc4AQX
The Giants already made their own move, giving Minnesota a 2027 fifth-round pick for McCarthy after Jaxson Dart's season-ending knee injury.
That trade is the kind of domino effect Fowler is describing, where one injury-driven need creates a market for the next team's surplus.
