There have been two surprising developments relating to the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback situation following Sunday's dramatic, come-from-behind win over the Dallas Cowboys. 

Prior to Sunday's game, Jacoby Brissett was the starter, fellow veteran Gardner Minshew was the backup, and rookie Carson Beck was Arizona's emergency, third-string quarterback. There's a completely new order now.

On Monday, head coach Mike LaFleur announced Minshew as the team's new starter. Beck will move to the No. 2 spot while Brissett is now the third-string quarterback. 

The decision to switch starting quarterbacks was surprising enough; LaFleur's announcement that Brissett, the team's starting quarterback for the majority of the last two seasons, was being demoted to the emergency third spot is the real jaw-dropper. 

Statistically, Brissett wasn't bad during the season's first seven games. But he struggled against the Cowboys before being replaced by Minshew, who caught fire with three touchdown passes while completing 73.9% of his attempts. Minshew's heroics helped turn a 27-17 deficit with 3:54 left into a 33-30 overtime win. The win improved the Cardinals' record to 3-5. 

Minshew, 30, has had a roller coaster NFL career. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Minshew started his career in Jacksonville before having stops in Philadelphia, Indianapolis, Las Vegas and Kansas City prior to coming to Arizona this season. His best season was back in 2023, when he earned his first Pro Bowl nod after going 7-6 as the Colts' starting quarterback. 

Beck, a 2026 third-round pick, showed potential during this past preseason, going 15-of-19 for 188 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. His college career included a prolific 2025 season at Miami that ended with an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship. 

Minshew will make his debut as the Cardinals' starting quarterback next Sunday in Seattle against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. 

What's next for Brissett? 

LaFleur was non-committal when he was asked about Brissett's future with the team beyond this week. That's usually one of the first indicators (another being a demotion) that a player is likely being dealt. 

The Ravens were the first team to come to mind when the news of Brissett's benching broke. Baltimore desperately needs help at quarterback after losing Lamar Jackson to a possible season-ending injury. Backup Tyler Huntley is also expected to miss some time after injuring his toe during Sunday's loss to the Bills, leaving undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano as the only healthy quarterback on the roster. 

If the Ravens are going to salvage their season, they need to stabilize their quarterback position as best they can. Brissett would help them do that. He could serve as Baltimore's new starting quarterback or at least be a viable backup for Huntley whenever he is cleared to play.

On paper, a trade between Baltimore and Arizona for Brissett seems easy. The Ravens need a quarterback, and the Cardinals have one they're not using. It could be as easy as that if both teams agree on the trade terms before the league's Nov. 10 trade deadline. 

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The Cardinals need to be realistic here, though. The Ravens need a quarterback, but they're not going to give away too much for a quarterback who just lost his starting job. Baltimore is also probably realistic in terms of its situation. Without Jackson, and playing in a division where every team has a winning record, the odds of the Ravens doing much this season are slim with or without Brissett, who — if nothing else — could help the Ravens remain competitive. 

It would be surprising if the Ravens and Cardinals didn't at least discuss a trade involving Brissett. From the outside, a sixth-round pick sounds fair, or a fifth-round pick in exchange for Brissett and a seventh-round pick. Either way, the Cardinals shouldn't expect to get much in exchange for Brissett, whose time in Arizona has been a disappointment.