Who Should I Start? Jacoby Brissett or Baker Mayfield

Tuesday, March 11, 5:44 PM

Free-agent quarterback Jacoby Brissett plans to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, a source tells ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Brissett, who spent last year with the New England Patriots, will become the new backup to starter Kyler Murray in Arizona. Eleven of Brissett's 53 career starts have come with new Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing as his quarterbacks coach in Cleveland. The 32-year-old Brissett started the 2024 season as the Patriots' starter under center as they waited on first-rounder Drake Maye. In his eight appearances (five starts), Brissett struggled in a lackluster offense without many weapons, going 95-for-161 (59%) with 826 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception as a low-ceiling game manager. He is a respected veteran backup, but the Cardinals offense will be in trouble if Murray misses time with an injury in 2025.

Wednesday, June 11, 4:32 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield noted on Tuesday via the team's official transcript that the new offense is focusing on increasing the number of downfield shots during minicamp. "[We're] working on that, being able to connect on the chemistry we're trying to build right now," noted the Oklahoma product. "This is the time of year we're working on it. Obviously, you would love to have more down-the-field shots, but any completion is a good one." Mayfield's gripe with the offense from 2024 was that it relied heavily on YAC, and it sounds like they're trying to go away from that in 2025. It's worth noting that they weren't very efficient on deep balls last season, but they're certainly equipped to do so with their offensive skill players. More explosiveness would suit the offense well, but only time will tell if that's a suitable game plan for new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard. NFL defenses have done well in recent seasons in limiting explosive plays.