Cardinals Named Potential Landing Spot for Veteran QB as Passing Game Stalls

Jacoby Brissett has Arizona living on short throws, and a backup who went 5-3 as a starter last year already knows Mike LaFleur's Shanahan-based system.

by Neal Coolong

Sep 30, 2026

An Arizona Cardinals helmet

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals are 1-2, and their offense has been stuck underneath. Arizona is dead last in the NFL with two plays of 20-plus yards, per Athlon’s breakdown of the league’s big-play numbers. That’s why 49ers QB Mac Jones’ name keeps coming up.

Jacoby Brissett has put up volume without much reach. He went 38 of 52 for 280 yards and two touchdown passes in Sunday’s 36-30 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, averaging 5.4 yards per attempt. Brissett is also playing on a one-year, $15.5 million deal, so Arizona has no long-term answer locked in.

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox ranked Jones fourth on his trade block big board entering Week 4 and listed the Cardinals and New York Jets as potential suitors. His projected price is a conditional 2027 second-round pick.

Why Mac Jones fits in Arizona

Dec 14, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) warms up prior to the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Jones went 5-3 as a starter while Brock Purdy was hurt last season, completing 69.6 percent of his passes for 2,151 yards with 13 touchdown passes and six interceptions. He’d also walk into a familiar system. Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur was Kyle Shanahan’s passing game coordinator in San Francisco from 2017 to 2020.

Rookie Carson Beck is the longer-term project, and LaFleur has him working as the No. 3 behind Brissett and Gardner Minshew II, per Bleacher Report. Jones wouldn’t block that plan. He’s a free agent after this season, so a trade would double as an early look before Arizona decides who’s under center in 2027.

The money isn’t a problem, either. The Cardinals have $12.6 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap, and Jones’ reworked 2026 deal is worth about $3.55 million.

Getting San Francisco to say yes is the hard part. The 3-0 49ers just beat Arizona, and Purdy missed eight games last season. NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco doesn’t expect a market big enough to pry Jones loose, and handing him to a division rival would make it tougher.

Arizona visits the New York Giants at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. If Brissett’s offense can’t find more than dink-and-dunk throws, the Cardinals should make the call before the Nov. 10 deadline, even if it means overpaying to get a rival to answer the phone.