Could Cardinals trade Jacoby Brissett, Josh Sweat before deadline?

When Mike LaFleur named Gardner Minshew as his starting quarterback and demoted Jacoby Brissett to third string, it effectively ended the latter’s tenure in Arizona. Quarterbacks may come back from being benched. They do not come back from a demotion to third string. Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, Zach Wilson — the list goes on. The question, then, is whether Brissett’s tenure will end with a trade before the Nov. 10 deadline, or if it will run through the season, when he becomes a free agent. LaFleur was asked whether he expects Brissett to remain on the team past the trade deadline. “Only focused on this week,” LaFleur said. “He's fully a part of this team and excited to see him still be the teammate that I know he is.” As the public face of the organization, that’s what LaFleur has to say. But it’s difficult to imagine the Cardinals not investigating options with Brissett. The question is whether they’ll find any suitors. Brissett has been poor much of this season, especially of late. He ranks last among starting quarterbacks in yards per attempt and 25th in EPA per dropback. Plus, quarterbacks are rarely traded during the season, with only 15 such deals this century. The difficulty of learning a new playbook midseason provides a barrier to movement at the position. But when quarterbacks are traded, their situations often look like Brissett’s. J.J. McCarthy (in 2026), Joe Flacco (in 2025) and Josh Dobbs (in 2023) provide recent examples of benched quarterbacks who were quickly dealt. Each commanded a fifth- or sixth-round pick in return. That would likely be the compensation for Brissett as well. With such a low price tag, Brissett could be an intriguing option for quarterback-needy teams. The Baltimore Ravens stand out. There’s a chance that they now view this season as a lost cause, but if Lamar Jackson has a chance to return for the playoffs, it could be worth trying to squeeze a few wins out of Brissett. Plus, their quarterbacks coach, Israel Woolfork, spent last season working with Brissett in Arizona, which would help Brissett’s transition to a new organization. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that he expects the Ravens to “consider some QB trades,” listing Brissett as one possible option. Beyond Baltimore, there are no clear trade partners that stand out — unless the Minnesota Vikings want to move on from Kyler Murray, marking the second time in a year that Murray could lose his job to Brissett. The Atlanta Falcons, at half a game out of the NFC South lead, are another long-shot option. Realistically, Brissett’s future is likely either a trade to Baltimore or a release at the end of the season. If the Cardinals do trade Brissett, they would still be on the hook for his $7.2 million cap hit next season. That money was added to Brissett’s contract when he signed a reworked deal this offseason, even though he is still a free agent after the current season. Could Cardinals trade Josh Sweat? The second most likely trade piece for Arizona is edge rusher Josh Sweat. His name has repeatedly surfaced in trade rumors since the offseason, when he was present at training camp but did not participate until late August. LaFleur has not said much on that situation either, although he did show some brief frustration with Sweat during this week’s game. After L.J. Collier committed a crucial unnecessary roughness penalty in the fourth quarter, Sweat took his helmet off to yell at Collier. That prompted LaFleur to briefly remove Sweat from the game. He only allowed Sweat to re-enter after Sweat ran back onto the field to apologize to Collier. When asked about that moment, LaFleur initially only spoke about his trust in Collier. He was then asked specifically about Sweat. “I love Sweaty,” LaFleur said. “He's been a stud, and it's been really good to get to know him and watch him continue to get better every week.” That interaction was likely nothing more than in-game frustration. Sweat did have one of his better performances of the year, tying season highs with three pressures and a sack. But it felt notable amid the uncertainty of Sweat’s future in Arizona. If Sweat is dealt, he would likely command a second- or third-round draft pick. The Cardinals would be on the hook for approximately $16.5 million of dead money after this season, with the remaining $36.2 million of his deal taken on by his new team and spread over the next two seasons. That is in addition to the 2026 cap hit that an acquiring team would take on for Sweat — somewhere in the ballpark of $5 million, depending on whether the trade would fall before or after Week 8. That’s a palatable price to pay for high-end edge rusher help, especially given that the free agent options are rarely fruitful at the position. And at 29, Sweat should be able to provide his current level of production through the end of his deal in 2028.