Cardinals, Panthers Veterans Report to Training Camp as Jacoby Brissett’s Contract Standoff Drags On
Training camp is officially here. The Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers welcomed veterans to their facilities Wednesday, becoming the first two teams in the league to open camp ahead of the 2026 season, according to NFL.com. The early start comes with a reward and a burden: both clubs get an extra week of practice time before they meet in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 6, but it also means every unresolved storyline from the offseason walks through the door with them.
In the desert, that storyline has a name: Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett Reports Without a New Deal
Brissett showed up Wednesday still playing on the final year of a contract that guarantees him just $1.5 million, and a new deal is not close. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted on X the night before camp opened that the two sides remain apart on numbers, even though the Cardinals agree Brissett deserves a raise: “AZ and Brissett (who is his own agent) have been actively negotiating for the last several months and agree he’s due a raise. No consensus yet on the number.” —
A day to before the Cardinals report, and there is not yet a resolution to Jacoby Brissett’s contract situation. AZ and Brissett (who is his own agent) have been actively negotiating for the last several months and agree he’s due a raise. No consensus yet on the number. https://t.co/GwHgf03Rlq
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 21, 2026
The math explains the friction. Brissett’s deal maxes out at $5.39 million this year, but almost none of it is guaranteed — a number that ranks behind backup Gardner Minshew’s $5.8 million deal, according to Bleacher Report. Brissett is also negotiating for himself, without an agent, which both sides have acknowledged has slowed things down.
He is not walking away from it. Rapoport reported that a full holdout is unlikely since it would cost Brissett guaranteed money he can’t get back, framing a “hold-in” as the more probable outcome. Teammates have been publicly in his corner — safety Budda Baker posted his support in July, arguing Brissett is “asking for below the bare minimum.
None of this happens in a vacuum. First-year head coach Mike LaFleur is installing a new offensive system, and the quarterback running it doesn’t have long-term security. Brissett started 12 games last season after Kyler Murray went down with a season-ending foot injury, throwing for 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions. Arizona released Murray this offseason and didn’t add a proven starter in free agency or the draft, leaving Brissett as the presumptive Week 1 starter over Minshew and third-round rookie Carson Beck — but without the security teams usually give a starter.
| Cardinals QB | 2026 Status | Guaranteed Money |
|---|---|---|
| Jacoby Brissett | Presumptive starter | $1.5 million |
| Gardner Minshew | Backup | ~$5.8 million (near fully guaranteed) |
| Carson Beck | Third-round rookie | Rookie-scale deal |
How LaFleur handles a hold-in quarterback while teaching a new scheme is worth watching over the next two weeks. So is whether first-round running back Jeremiyah Love can carve into a crowded backfield right away, and whether Marvin Harrison Jr. takes the leap many expect in his second season. On defense, Arizona is banking on better health, particularly from 2025 first-rounder Walter Nolen.
Panthers Report Down Two Starters
Carolina’s camp opened with less drama but real injury concerns. The team announced that right tackle Taylor Moton will start camp on the reserve/non-football injury list after being diagnosed in June with a blood clot in his lung, according to NFL.com. Moton is on blood thinners and responding well to treatment, per the team, but he’s expected to miss the start of the regular season. The 10th-year veteran has started 128 of 145 games for Carolina since being drafted in 2017.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn will also open camp on reserve/NFI, for a far less serious reason — a cut on his foot that required stitches. The team expects him back early in camp. Horn is coming off a career year, logging five interceptions in 16 starts in 2025.
The injuries complicate, but don’t derail, what’s shaping up as an ambitious camp for a team that went 8-9 and won the NFC South a year ago. Bryce Young is entering his third season under Dave Canales, with offensive coordinator Brad Idzik taking over play-calling duties. The Panthers added edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd, and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is coming off an award-winning rookie season.
What’s Next
Arizona and Carolina will hold joint practices ahead of their Aug. 6 Hall of Fame Game matchup in Canton, Ohio. Every other team has a veteran report deadline of July 28. The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots open camp Friday, setting up a season-opening rematch on Sept. 9.