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Heading into the 2026 season, Jacoby Brissett, James Conner and Budda Baker were all candidates to be traded to the Arizona Cardinals.
The Arizona Cardinals are expected to be in rebuilding mode heading into the 2026 season. Of course, that doesn’t mean this isn’t an important season. In fact, the decisions the Cardinals make now will have a major impact on the team for years to come.
Because of this, it is possible that the Cardinals are very busy at this season’s NFL trade deadline. They have so many candidates that a recent article in USA today Nick Brinkerhoff listed three possible players heading to Arizona.
Three Arizona Cardinals named as trade deadline candidates
At one point during the offseason, the quarterback position seemed to be a done deal for the Arizona Cardinals. Veteran Jacoby Brissett could become the starter, even if it was only in the short term. He then stepped away and pushed for a new deal, opening up potential quarterback competition with Gardner Minshew and Carson Beck.
With this open quarterback competition and the prospect of a franchise quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft, it doesn’t look like Brissett will stay in Arizona for long. Thus, he was the first Cardinals player who Brinkerhoff believed could be traded.
“The Cardinals, barring a miracle, will not be a playoff contender this season,” Brinkerhoff wrote. “They already have Gardner Minshew and drafted Carson Beck. At some point, Arizona will want to see what they have in this young man before potentially selecting a new quarterback in next year’s draft. That makes Brissett expendable, especially when injuries inevitably complicate the other team’s situation.”
One of Arizona’s hopes is that the Cardinals have a strong game. After all, they made big investments this year by drafting Jeremy Love and signing Tyler Allgaier. However, this makes James Conner a crowded room.
“Conner’s name has been in trade rumors ever since Jeremiah Love was called during the 2026 NFL Draft. There is no reason to believe that will change anytime soon,” Brinkerhoff wrote.
As the Cardinals’ latest trade candidate, Brinkerhoff moved to the defensive side of the ball. He had a little surprise: veteran Budda Baker made the list. The logic is to give something to a talented player while giving him the ability to compete faster against his opponent.
“The 30-year-old guard is no different from any other Cardinals veteran on this list. Arizona is still some time away, meaning Baker is unlikely to be part of the team – or at his peak – when that day comes. The Cards could move on from Baker and gain some draft capital, allowing the star to chase a ring.”
The Arizona Cardinals earned a disappointing offseason mark.
The offseason isn’t over yet. So, there’s still time to improve, but many experts aren’t happy with the way the Cardinals have approached things. In particular, Seth Walder from ESPNwho gave Arizona a “D” grade.
While Walder noted that the biggest move of the offseason was the departure of Kyler Murray, he did not agree with the selection of Jeremiah Love. In fact, he hated running backs this high in the NFL draft.
“Let me be clear: Love is an exceptional prospect,” Walder wrote. “But any running back at No. 3 belies positional value, or lack thereof. The running back position doesn’t change things that much. Even when running backs do when taken early in the draft, they provide less incremental value than other positions (because they are otherwise very cheap to sign and therefore immediately expensive even in rookie deals), and the opportunity cost of finding an elite player at a position you can’t get in free agency (for example, forward) is significant.”
Time will tell how well the Cardinals handle the 2026 offseason. However, one thing is clear: they still have work to do to become a contender again.
And Morrison After graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 2019, Dan Morrison quickly began a career in sports journalism and digital media. This has led to him working as a writer for several publications and also working for the national news service On3. During this time, he devoted most of his time to covering football at both the college and NFL levels. He currently resides in Central Florida and covers the NFL at Heavy. More about Dan Morrison