Gardner Minshew Named Cardinals' Starting QB After Historic Comeback vs. Cowboys, Carson Beck QB2

After his outstanding performance in Sunday's historic comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys, Gardner Minshew II is getting a promotion.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur named Minshew the starter for this week's game against the Seattle Seahawks. Additionally, LaFleur said rookie quarterback Carson Beck will be Minshew's backup over Jacoby Brissett.

After Brissett struggled throughout the first half, the Cardinals brought in Minshew in the second half, and he completed 17 of his 23 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns.

Arizona trailed 17-3 when Minshew came in, and he led a tremendous comeback, tying things in the final seconds when he connected with Michael Wilson. The Cardinals went on to win in overtime.

▶️ Full Cardinals-Cowboys Recap

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Brissett, who has started all eight games for the Cardinals, has thrown for 1,719 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions this year. He had 119 yards and an interception on 10-of-23 passing when he came out of the game on Sunday.

Brissett's benching comes after the veteran quarterback signed a reworked deal in July that pays him $15.5 million for the 2026 season, with incentives that could move the total value to $21 million.

Minshew, meanwhile, is playing on a one-year, $5.75 million deal.

Minshew, a 2019 draft pick, has seldom been a starter in his career, much like Brissett. He was the QB1 in Jacksonville early in his career before bouncing around to a handful of different teams. He started 17 games with the Indianapolis Colts in 2023 before appearing in 10 games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024.

Last year, he appeared in just four games with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Minshew is still just 30 years old and has the chance for a late-career revival. If he can match his performance from Sunday, he might be in for a big year.

Beck, a third-round pick out of Miami in the 2026 draft, could eventually be the Cardinals' solution under center, and the promotion to QB2 certainly makes his path to being the starter easier.

For now, he'll wait his turn behind Minshew.