Not clickbait: QB Aaron Rodgers to the Cardinals?

The Arizona Cardinals drafted a young quarterback in this year’s NFL draft with the selection of Carson Beck from the University of Miami. With that pick, the quarterback room swelled to four athletes.

Most NFL clubs only keep three guys going into Week 1, plus another on the practice squad. The Cardinals QB room includes Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, Kedon Slovis, and Beck.

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Every NFL team has at least four quarterbacks in training camp for the competition aspect.

It is assumed that Brissett will start in Week 1. However, he is holding out. Before the 2025 season, he was signed to a two-year deal to be Kyler Murray’s backup. He agreed to $12.5 million with $8 million guaranteed, with a cap hit this year of $9.19 million.

Both Brissett (6’-4”, 235 pounds) and Minshew (6’-1”, 225 pounds) are viewed as journeyman quarterbacks. The 2026 season will become Brissett’s 11^th year in the league, and he has played for six teams. Minshew is entering his eighth season and has suited up for six clubs himself.

The Cardinals have since moved on from Murray, and so this made Brissett the default starting quarterback. But by being the main QB, he doesn’t feel his income matches the position of being a starting quarterback in the NFL.

While guys like Dak Prescott, Jared Goff, and Patrick Mahomes are making $34 to $60 million a season, Brissett is set to cash in less than $10 million. Guys still playing on their rookie deal are making more than that, such as Drake Maye, Caleb Williams, C.J. Stroud, and Jayen Daniels.

Brissett isn’t happy and will more than likely become a no-show until his contract is more in line with other mid-range quarterbacks in the league.

This means that if Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort doesn’t re-negotiate a new deal, the season could begin with either Minshew, Slovis, or the rookie Beck as Arizona’s starting quarterback in Week 1. Marinate on that a bit.

There is another option. And it seems to have legs: Bring in veteran Aaron Rodgers.

Is this real?

What were you doing in 2005? Gas was $1.82 a gallon. A new car averaged $27,000. Movie tickets were $7.00. Milk was just over $3 a gallon.

That’s when Aaron Rodgers was drafted in the bottom of the first round by the Green Bay Packers, who already had Pro Bowler Brett Favre under center. After three years, he became the starter. Now, there’s not an award he hasn’t won, including being named NFL MVP four times. He owns six records.

There is a rumor swirling that the Cardinals have an interest in bringing Rodgers into their QB room to become their new starter. What is the front office saying? They haven’t squashed the gossip or helped it die down.

Yes, it would seem that this hearsay just seems to be some back-and-forth over a game of pool down at the neighborhood tavern. Realistically, there aren’t any real reports that the Cardinals are pursuing him, or the player has said he is considering coming to the desert.

It all started with a tweet from the new receiver, Kendrick Bourne:

Currently, Rodgers is an unrestricted free agent. His former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, has the rare right of first refusal on him. Rodgers can receive a raise of around 10% on the tag, which would push his 2026 salary to around $15 million, up from the $13.65 million he received in 2025. Thanks to this tender, the Steelers can match any contract offer another team makes to Rodgers, and if he is not signed by the time training camp begins, Pittsburgh gets exclusive negotiating rights.

The usage of this tender is rare, but it has been done before. Rogers can sign with Arizona or any other team before July 22, after which he can only negotiate with the Steelers or retire.

His playing status in Pittsburgh is undecided. The Steelers are frustrated with the fact that Rodgers has failed to meet internal deadlines repeatedly. Pittsburgh has two young quarterbacks on the roster after it drafted Penn State’s Drew Allar in Round 3 of this year’s NFL draft.

If the Cardinals did indeed sign Rodgers, it would accomplish two things: 1) It would immediately bring in a seasoned veteran who knows how to win consistently, and 2) it would allow Beck to develop and continue to improve long past his surgery.

Arizona has the weapons on offense. They have completely revamped their offensive line. They have a young stud at running back, the best receiving tight end in the game, and a room full of capable receivers. What the Cardinals don’t have is that upper-level signal-caller.

What’s next?

There is little doubt that all the Cardinals’ offense needs is a high-level quarterback. Rodgers would make this roster better. In just one season in Pittsburgh, he led them to the playoffs.

Look at Arizona’s QB room: Two journeyman players who have been on six different clubs each, an undrafted second-year guy who began with the team on the practice squad, and a rookie.

Take a quick glance at this year’s offensive roster: The best running back in college football plus a stacked running back room, the best tight end in the league, a receiver group of Michael Wilson, Marv Harrison, Bourne, and the rookie Reggie Virgil, and a revamped offensive line. Think what would happen if the team had its own star at the QB position.

Is the rumor getting some traction? Is there any meat on that bone? The area is a lot nicer to play home games than the brutal cold of Pittsburgh. This is a guy who is going to do whatever he decides to do. It’s his personality.

There are connections to Rodgers already in place with Arizona. He played for Matt LaFleur in Green Bay, the brother of Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur. Nathaniel Hackett is the new OC with the Cardinals, whom Rodgers knows very well and has played underneath his tutelage and direction. They have a personal bond going back to their time in Green Bay from 2019 through the 2021 seasons, and also with the New York Jets.

John Breech of CBS Sports threw out this recently:

“At this point, [the Cardinals] QB situation is still up in the air. Going into April, Jacoby Brissett appeared to have the inside track, but he’s skipping the team’s voluntary workouts because he wants to be paid like a starter. Instead of giving Brissett more money, the Cardinals could simply call Rodgers and offer that money to him.”

There is plenty of young talent that could just be a quarterback away from taking off.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Focus has his own take:

“The Cardinals have always been a possibility, given that they don’t have a clear first-string quarterback on the roster. And it would make sense for the Cardinals to be interested in Rodgers. Nathaniel Hackett, his former offensive coordinator with the Packers and the Jets, has that same role in Arizona now. And Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur (with whom Rodgers won a pair of NFL MVP awards), is the Cardinals’ head coach.”

Hackett is a huge drawing card in order to snag Rodgers. Being older and settling down in a warm climate should also have its allure. Should that be the case, he needs to sign with Arizona by July 22, or the Steelers will hold his rights for the 2026 season.

Editor’s note: Rodgers to the Cardinals discussion begins at the 2:00 mark

Keep in mind, Rodgers hasn’t been seen at the Cardinals facility, gone through a workout, or been evaluated by team doctors. This is currently a “what if” going on because even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while.

And it could very well be that Arizona’s coaching staff would much rather get Brissett in and let him take this team instead.

Could Rodgers coming to the Cardinals happen? Sure. As stated earlier, there’s no indication that the franchise is seriously interested in Rodgers. Would it make sense at one level? Absolutely. At another level, it would make no sense.

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