Cardinals bench Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew gets start vs. Seahawks

The Arizona Cardinals have made a significant quarterback change ahead of their Week 9 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, naming Gardner Minshew II as the starter. Minshew, who last played in Week 16 of the 2025 season with the Kansas City Chiefs before suffering a knee injury, steps in after a standout performance in Arizona’s 33-30 overtime win against the Dallas Cowboys.

He threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns in the final two minutes of the third quarter, rallying the Cardinals from a 17-3 deficit and offering a rare bright spot in a season marked by struggles under Jacoby Brissett. Despite a one-year, $15.5 million extension (with potential to reach $21 million) following his 2025 campaign, Brissett’s 2026 start has been rocky, with just 1,719 passing yards and a 10-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio in eight games.

The Cardinals, now 2-5 under Brissett, will look to Minshew to turn things around in a tough road game against a Seahawks defense that leads the league in limiting yards and ranks third in points allowed. Rookie Carson Beck will serve as the backup, while Brissett has been benched for the time being.

Minshew’s return to the starting role comes after a career marked by stops with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, and Las Vegas Raiders, where he was benched midway through the 2024 season. His dramatic late-game performance against Dallas provided the Cardinals with their first real glimpse of hope this season, and now he’ll face his first test as Arizona’s full-time starter in a high-stakes game against a formidable opponent.

The Cardinals have not defeated the Seahawks since 2021, adding to the pressure for Minshew in his first start of the year.

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Caleb Downs has no injury designation, George Pickens listed as questionable