Cardinals name Gardner Minshew starting quarterback; rookie Carson Beck to be backup

The Cardinals are shuffling the deck at quarterback entering the back half of the season.

Gardner Minshew will be Arizona's starter "moving forward," coach Mike LaFleur announced Monday, while rookie Carson Beck will be his backup, starting in Week 9 against the Seahawks.

Minshew replaces Jacoby Brissett, who started Arizona's first eight games but now slides into an emergency third QB role.

"That's not easy," LaFleur said of demoting Brissett, who has led the Cards to a 3-5 record. "It's not a fun phone call. There's no book for that, obviously. There's a human element to it. 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, this was not all on him. This was collective, starting with me. 

"But the position that those guys sign up for, we know the deal. We needed a spark, and obvious Gardner gave us one."

Minshew provided the spark in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Cowboys when he entered for a benched Brissett with Arizona down, 17-3. What followed was a mad-cap comeback, with Minshew completing 17 of 23 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns, leading five scoring drives, including the game-winning march in overtime to win, 33-30.

Brissett has completed 63.3% of his passes for 1,719 yards, 10 TDs and seven interceptions this season, and was 10-of-23 passing for 119 yards and an INT on Sunday at the time of his benching. They very well may have been his last snaps in Arizona.

The journeyman's benching raises the question of whether he will be on the trade block ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline. With QB injuries and questions mounting around the league, a third-string Brissett, 33, is an attractive trade target.

Asked whether Brissett could be on his way out of town, LaFleur said Monday he was only focused on the upcoming week.

"He's fully a part of this team," LaFleur said. "Excited to see him still be the teammate I know he is."

Minshew is slated to make his first start for Arizona. The 30-year-old mustachioed man has started 47 games (64 games played) for five NFL franchises since being selected by the Jaguars in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. Minshew's appearance in Week 8 was his first of the season. He last started a game for Kansas City in Week 16 of last year.

Brissett's demotion springboards Beck, the No. 65 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, into the QB2 role. LaFleur said the rookie is week to week with a back injury but is ready to step into the backup position.

"I just think that's the right thing to do," LaFleur explained, "to continue his development in terms of getting more reps with the scout team and all that."

Entering Monday Night Football, the Cardinals rank 18th in passing yards per game (223.8) but 29th in pass yards per play (5.44). At 3-5, they have overperformed in the treacherous NFC West and are just one game back of the third-place Rams, whom they face in Week 10.

Whether Brissett is on the roster by then is now a question, as Arizona looks to Minshew as the answer under center.