Jacoby Brissett was relieved, admitting Sunday after practice – and after he signed a new contract for 2026, giving him a $10 million raise – that the stress of working on a new deal was limiting him to about three hours of sleep a night.
"It's your livelihood, it's business and it's part of this game," the veteran quarterback said. "You want to be out there with the guys and that causes another stressor. I'm glad it's over with."
Coach Mike LaFleur said Brissett will work with the starters beginning Tuesday, when the pads go on for the first time. He did not yet commit to Brissett starting Week 1. The Cardinals held their last pre-padded practice on Sunday and are off on Monday.
"I'm happy for him, I'm happy for our team," LaFleur said.
Brissett, who hadn't yet done any 11-on-11 work because of the contract issue, got his first 11-on-11 snaps on Sunday.
According to ESPN/NFL Network, Brissett now will make $15.5 million this season with the chance for incentives that could get it to $21M. Brissett, who serves as his own agent, had been scheduled to make $4.9 million in base salary, with $1.9M guaranteed. He will still be a free agent after the season.
"It hasn't been a distraction by any means," LaFleur said. "We have very mature and professional players. We have a mature roster. Never thought it was ever a distraction but it's one less thing we have to talk about, or that they have to read about.
"We can move on with the football aspect of it."
Brissett acknowledged "it definitely got dark a couple of times" in his quest for a contract boost. He was not around the majority of the offseason, skipping all voluntary work and showing up for mandatory minicamp but not participating in practice. Wanting a raise was about "having respect for yourself."
He said he still had "ears" at the Cardinals, talking to some teammates which allowed him to stay connected. As the news broke Sunday morning, tight end Trey McBride tweeted out "LFG" while tackle Paris Johnson Jr. added a "Let's goooo" tweet with moneybag emojis.
And of course, there was Budda Baker's tweet before camp imploring the Cardinals to get a deal done with Brissett.
"That's the ultimate reward in this game, the respect of your teammates," Brissett said. "Maybe not the reward, but the currency. That's what I really value. Contracts come and go, but the teammates that want to go to bat for you, that's what matter most."
While there is a chance rookie Carson Beck could get to play this season and veteran Gardner Minshew II has been taking first-team reps with Brissett out, the deal all but guarantees Brissett will be starting when the Cardinals face the Chargers in Week 1.
"I think I've got to go out there and prove it," Brissett said. "I don't think it's a given just because a deal gets done."
What Brissett does know is that he will put in the time to be the guy to start. He said the Cardinals knew that too, otherwise they wouldn't have given him a new contract.
"He's got that veteran presence," offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said. "You know, when you first get the rookies, they don't know what's going on, so I think that just the conversations, the things that (Jacoby) has gone through, just understanding the football, different systems he's been in, I think all those things help him with us, and you see that growth and just his wisdom."
LaFleur reiterated Brissett's experience should help him quickly get to where he needs to be despite missing the offseason work.
"The plan is for us to get our offense as good as it can be, and to be peaking at the right time, for him to be our starter," LaFleur said.
Brissett said there were times he wasn't sure the contract would get done. Nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. But he was confident that once the business was handled, he would know how to handle the football.
"After the sleep I get tonight," Brissett said, "I'll go back to three hours of sleep for work purposes now."
