Jacoby Brissett agrees to reworked 1-year deal with Cardinals and is likely Week 1 starter

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Now that Jacoby Brissett has his new contract with the Arizona Cardinals, the veteran quarterback is ready to go to work with first-year coach Mike LaFleur and help the team bounce back from last season's 3-14 record.

But first, he's looking forward to some quality rest.

"I'm pretty sure I'll probably sleep more than three hours tonight," Brissett said with a grin.

Brissett and the Cardinals agreed to a reworked one-year deal Sunday worth a reported $15.5 million and LaFleur confirmed that the veteran is the team's likely starter for Week 1.

The 33-year-old Brissett was unhappy with his previous contract, which included just $1.5 million of guaranteed money for the upcoming season. He reported for training camp last week, but was limited during practices while he and the Cardinals worked on the deal.

Brissett said it got "dark a couple times" during negotiations, but he had enough confidence in himself to persevere. This will be his 11th NFL season.

"It felt good to be back out there," Brissett said. "Standing around wasn't particularly fun."

Brissett was the team's starter for the final 12 games last year after Kyler Murray suffered a season-ending foot injury. He did well individually with a career-high 3,366 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions, but the Cardinals had a 1-11 record in those games.

LaFleur confirmed that Brissett's deal was done before Sunday's practice and said that the quarterback would begin working with the starters soon. The team's other main options under center are veteran Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck.

"It hasn't been a distraction by any means — I think we've got some very mature and professional players," LaFleur said. "But it's just one more thing that we don't have to talk about."

Brissett is a popular presence in the Cardinals' locker room and some players — most notably eight-time Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker — were publicly supportive of a new deal for the quarterback.

"I think that's the ultimate reward of this game, the respect of your teammates," Brissett said. "That's what I pride myself on. That's the only thing I really value. Contracts come and go but your teammates and the people you work with, the ones who want to go bat for you, that's what matters most."

LaFleur said he wasn't worried about Brissett's lost practice time. The quarterback didn't practice with the team during the offseason because of the contract situation.

"He's got a level head about himself," LaFleur said. "He's been in a lot of different systems and heard a lot of different things and seen a lot of different things. He's had the ups and downs with teams. He's in a good spot and I'm excited to really start working with him."

The Cardinals open the preseason Aug. 6 against the Carolina Panthers in the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.

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