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Cardinals to Trade QB Jacoby Brissett to Ravens Following Injuries to Lamar Jackson and Snoop Huntley

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“There’s no book for that. There’s a human element to it,” Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur said of benching Jacoby Brissett. The veteran quarterback is expected to be traded to the Baltimore Ravens in the coming days, azcardinals.com reported Wednesday, with si.com adding that the deal is expected to be completed over the weekend.

In a trade that seemed destined to happen, multiple reports said Wednesday that Brissett reportedly isn’t going to be a Cardinal much longer. The move lands at a critical juncture for both franchises. Brissett was demoted to third on Arizona’s depth chart this week after Gardner Minshew replaced him in the third quarter of Sunday’s Week 8 matchup in Dallas. Minshew led four straight scoring drives and secured an upset victory over the Cowboys, making the change at quarterback feel inevitable after Brissett held out for a new contract and led the Cardinals to a poor start in 2026. Meanwhile, the Ravens lost starter Lamar Jackson to a season-ending thumb injury and backup Tyler “Snoop” Huntley to season-ending turf toe this week, leaving Baltimore desperate for help just days before playing the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football this week.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter also reported Wednesday that the Cardinals and Ravens are finalizing the trade. Brissett’s availability from Arizona dovetailed directly with Baltimore’s need, creating a rare midseason market where both teams address urgent roster holes. LaFleur declined to confirm the specifics, telling reporters, “Out of respect for the process and working to get stuff finalized, I really don’t have much of a comment on it,” before adding, “We’re going to let the process play out for that.” He did indicate that the timeline for a deal would be “in the next few days.”

Brissett Says Goodbye as Arizona Nets Draft Capital

Brissett has already said goodbyes to teammates in the locker room, according to azcardinals.com, signaling that the organization views the move as essentially done. He was benched this past weekend while Minshew took over, and the writing was clearly on the wall for not only a demotion but a trade as well. While terms are not yet known, si.com reported that getting any sort of draft capital for Brissett constitutes a massive win for Arizona, particularly since the team recently demoted him to No. 3 duties on Monday. The outlet expects the Cardinals to receive a low Day 3 pick—rounds six or seven—for the veteran passer, which would expand Arizona’s trade deadline draft-pick haul just weeks after the team netted a second-round pick for Marvin Harrison Jr.

The trade also clears the path for rookie Carson Beck to earn eventual playing time in Arizona down the stretch. Brissett will not make it to Baltimore in time for Thursday night’s game against the Jaguars, but nfl.com noted that he will reunite with Ravens quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfolk, with whom he worked last season in Arizona and in Cleveland during the 2022 campaign—a familiarity that should help the veteran jump right into the fray despite the compressed timeline.

Ravens Scramble After Losing Two Quarterbacks to Injury

Baltimore’s need became urgent this week when both Jackson and Huntley went down with season-ending injuries, seeing their quarterback room decimated nearly overnight. The Ravens play the Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, and while Brissett won’t be available for that specific game, the acquisition addresses the longer-term void left by two starters. The NFL’s trade deadline is Nov. 10, and the Cardinals may not be done dealing, with names such as Josh Sweat and Budda Baker recently surfacing in trade rumors.

The quarterback shuffle extends to Sunday’s game in Seattle as well, where the Seahawks host the Cardinals. The Seahawks announced Wednesday that starter Sam Darnold will miss the game against Arizona with a quad injury. Backup Drew Lock, who has missed the last two games with an elbow injury, is expected to fill in and start. Lock started against the Cardinals in Week 2 this year when Darnold was also sidelined, giving him familiarity with the Arizona defense.

Cardinals to Trade QB Jacoby Brissett to Ravens Following Injuries to Lamar Jackson and Snoop Huntley
Photo: si.com

LaFleur Weighs the Human Cost of Moving On

LaFleur acknowledged the difficulty of benching Brissett ahead of Week 9. “That’s not easy. It’s not a fun phone call,” he said of the conversation. “I have a lot of respect for Jacoby, the person. I have a lot of respect for Jacoby, the player. Like I told you guys yesterday, it was not all on him. This was collective and starting with me, but the position that those guys sign up for, we know the deal. We needed a spark and obviously Gardner gave us one.”

“I have a lot of respect for Jacoby, the person,” LaFleur said.

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