Jacoby Brissett rejoined the Arizona Cardinals for their first training camp practice on Thursday, participating in drills despite ongoing contract negotiations. Brissett had previously held out of mandatory minicamp in June and did not participate in the voluntary offseason training program as both sides worked toward a new deal.
Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur confirmed Brissett's presence, stating, "He’s here. He’s under contract and it’s the first day of practice." LaFleur indicated that contract talks remain "productive" and "ongoing" between the team and Brissett's representatives. The quarterback's current contract includes a base salary of $4.88 million with $1.5 million guaranteed, and he has the potential to earn up to $5.39 million through incentives.
Brissett, 33, completed drills alongside fellow quarterbacks Gardner Minshew II, Carson Beck, and Kedon Slovis. Last season, Brissett played in 14 games for the Cardinals, recording 3,366 passing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.
When asked about a potential quarterback competition, LaFleur deferred, emphasizing the team's focus on player development. "It’s just about building that one day at a time and seeing how good we can be every single day," LaFleur said. "We need to get better on July 23. We need to compete against each other on July 23."
The team's objective, according to LaFleur, is continuous improvement throughout the training camp period, culminating in peak performance by the start of the regular season on September 13. "We just have to get better. And then when we get to Sept. 13, that’s when we have to say, ‘Hey, did we do everything we could to be the best Cardinal team we could be?'"