Heading into the offseason, rumors of the Arizona Cardinals were rampant that they were planning to move on from Kyler Murray. While the Cardinals were certainly hoping a trade would come to fruition, the situation was already over. No one was going to make a deal for a player who was expected to be released.
Of course, the Cardinals eventually bit the bullet and turned their franchise quarterback loose. But with new head coach Mike LaFleur taking over, there was a significant vacancy at the game's most important position. Now, the question is, who will the Cardinals make their next starting QB?
Jacoby Brissett is having a career year, but LaFleur is not. Did the 33-year-old Brissett uncover something special in his 10th season playing? It's possible, but the Cardinals still went just 1-11 under his leadership.
As a result of Murray's release, the Cardinals also signed another QB, Gardner Minshew, who is a one-time Pro Bowler, but is also 29 years old and only attempted 13 passes last season. Still, Minshew clearly wasn't the Cardinals' first choice this offseason.
The Cardinals were reportedly interested in signing two-time Super Bowl winner (as a backup) Jimmy Garoppolo. Still, Florio reports that negotiations between the Cardinals and Garoppolo "have hit a wall." This led them to sign Minshew to an affordable one-year contract worth up to $5.75 million.
Still, despite the Cardinals moving forward, Florio says that "it's still possible that Garoppolo could replace Brissett in Arizona". Of course, with Garoppolo still unsigned in free agency, that option remains open, especially if he prefers the opportunity to start.
Otherwise, the best option for Jimmy G may be to return to the Rams, where he has spent the last two seasons as the primary backup to Matthew Stafford. However, Garoppolo is familiar with the Cardinals' new head coach, having been their offensive coordinator for the past two seasons in Los Angeles.
Perhaps their relationship could help restart contract negotiations, but the Cardinals may be eyeing a young option to add to their depth chart rather than a trio of veterans with limited upside.
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