Cardinals to start Gardner Minshew II, demote Jacoby Brissett to third-string QB - USA Today
The Arizona Cardinals are making a change at quarterback – just not the one that many had anticipated they might opt for near midseason.
Gardner Minshew II will start Sunday's game at the Seattle Seahawks, Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur confirmed Monday, Oct. 2. In taking over for starter Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, Minshew sparked a late surge by throwing for 188 yards and three touchdowns to lead a 33-30 comeback win.
"He kind of showed all of us in terms of being the competitor that he is," LaFleur said in a news conference. "It doesn't shock me – the production was pretty wild in terms of points and moving up and down the field. But he's a competitor. And he's always prepared."
Rookie Carson Beck will serve as Minshew's backup, while Brissett will be demoted to the emergency third-string option.
"I just thought that was the right thing to do," LaFleur said of installing Beck as the backup. "Continue his development in terms of getting more reps with the scout team and all that. So I thought that was the best thing to do."
Minshew signed a one-year, $5.75 million contract with the Cardinals in March to provide additional depth. But the journeyman was largely a forgotten entity next to Brissett, the incumbent starter, and Beck, whom many expected might take the reins at some point during the season.
Instead, Minshew will be starting for a sixth different team in his eight-year career.
LaFleur did not commit to retaining Brissett past the Nov. 10 trade deadline, saying the team was focused on the upcoming week.
"It's not a fun phone call," LaFleur said of notifying Brissett of his demotion. "There's no book for that. 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, it was not all on him. This was collective, starting with me. But the position that those guys sign up for, we know the deal. And we needed a spark, and obviously Gardner gave us one."
Brissett, 33, had an extended standoff with the Cardinals throughout the summer before the two sides agreed in late July to a revised one-year, $15.5 million contract.
But after Minshew rallied the Cardinals back from a 17-3 deficit when he entered Sunday's game late in the third quarter, LaFleur was noncommittal on his plans behind center.
With just eight days until the trade deadline, Brissett could become a potential target for any team looking for help behind center down the stretch.
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