It’s been a minute since I’ve done an Arizona Cardinals mailbag, but with training camp on the horizon next week, it felt like a good time to answer some burning questions. Thanks to those who took time to send them in.
Q: Is Baker Mayfield signed/extended yet? If not, why not offer Tampa #1 in 2027, #1 in 2028 and Brissett. And pay him $150 million for three years? Why wouldn’t TB take 2 1sts for him? It would make the Cards instant contenders. — Rob Weiner
Odegard: I’m almost positive the Buccaneers would take that deal. But if you’re the Cardinals, aren’t you basically back in the same spot as you were when Kyler Murray was at the helm, but now without two first-rounders?
Baker Mayfield is a good quarterback, but not a great one, and paying him $50 million per season hamstrings the way you can build out the roster around him.
It would be a short-term adrenaline jolt to trade for Mayfield, but the team would not be a contender due to the state of the defense. No, the best path for the Cardinals is to take their medicine this season and then hope to land a dirt-cheap quarterback through the draft next season. It’s the much better long-term play.
Q: Who do you think will start at QB and why? — Valentin
Odegard: There might be some posturing over the next week or so, and maybe the Cardinals acquiesce and give Brissett a small bump in pay for 2026. But even if they don’t budge, I would be shocked if Brissett has any sort of hold-in or hold-out when the players hit the field.
It’s all well and good to ask for a raise during the idle time of the offseason, but if Brissett doesn’t take the field with his teammates, new coach Mike LaFleur may just hand the reins over to Gardner Minshew.
I’d expect any offseason bluster to be gone by the time camp starts, and for Brissett to settle in as the starter, at least for the first six weeks of the season.
Q: Obviously, you’ve been very down on the Cardinals lately. Who do you see as potential trade candidates at the deadline to rack up more picks? — Chris Barbre
Odegard: There are a couple of very obvious candidates. Josh Sweat is one of the team’s best players and would really help a contender. If he plays well for the first half of the season and can fetch a Day 2 pick, the team should consider it.
Safety Budda Baker isn’t going to bring back the same type of return, but there’s not much downside in spinning him off for a pick if the Cardinals start horribly, as expected.
And then there is Brissett, who could be a wanted commodity depending on injuries around the league. Arizona will likely want to give Carson Beck a look in the second half of the year, so dealing Brissett would make a lot of sense for both player and team.
Q: Which, if any, players might you focus on during training camp? And why those players? — Ed Helinski
Odegard: There are several players to watch. Marvin Harrison, Jr. is the main one, as it’s time to either become a star or go down as a disappointment based on his draft status. Jeremiyah Love has a lot of hype, and sometimes you know quickly if a player possesses star qualities. I remember it vividly with Baker, who moved differently even as a rookie.
Beck, too, will have plenty of eyes on him, though I expect it to be a struggle for the rookie quarterback. And then Walt Nolen is the other for me. He showed signs of dominance in Year 1 and it will be good to see how he looks coming off a serious injury.
Q: Why are the Cardinals so trash? — mvpsunsdbook
Odegard: Ownership matters a lot in the NFL. Some owners are willing to circumvent the salary cap, spend copious resources on hires/amenities and push all-in when the situation presents itself. Michael Bidwill has not shown a proclivity to do these things, and you get what you pay for in this league.
There is enough parity to where I do expect some sort of run in the next decade, but the Cardinals are certainly never going to be in the same stratosphere as organizations like the Ravens, Vikings, Rams, Patriots, etc. unless there is a grand change in philosophy.
Q: Does it ever get better? — RedSeaSzn2
Odegard: It might! I mean, not this year, of course. The 2026 season is about to go down as one of the most miserable in Cardinals history, and that’s saying something. But if this team can live down to the expectations, it means a top-3 pick is coming.
There are multiple intriguing quarterback prospects in the 2027 draft, and hitting one one of them could indeed turn around the fortunes for this franchise. As bad as things are for Arizona, bottoming out can often lead to better days ahead.
Q: Why should we care? I’ve been going through this BS since 1988. I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe the Bidwills should see if they can find a buyer that will keep the team in the Valley? Seems things will never change as long as that family owns the franchise. — Mr. Serious Business
Odegard: I am sensing a theme to these questions. As mentioned, yes, the ownership situation is poor in Arizona. But sometimes you can win in the NFL despite that setup. Many, many fans would love a change in ownership, but it’s not going to happen.
So, yeah, root for the tank, root for the right quarterback coming in, and then root for the next GM to have a solid plan to take advantage from 2028-2030.
Q: BJ Ojulari clearly wasn’t ready to return last year and his production suffered from it. Is he back to pre-injury form or is he another Ryan Williams? — Connor
Odegard: I’m not sure where he’s at physically, but it certainly sounds like the knee injury was a really rough one. This is a key season for Ojulari. I still remember talking to Tyrann Mathieu about his 2015 ACL. Mathieu told me it took him about 2.5 years to feel like himself again.
I thought Ojulari showed some really positive flashes as a rookie. Hopefully he is healthy and can get his career back on track. It would be a major boost for Arizona.
Q: Would starting Beck and Love (and any other promising young players) from the jump be the best thing for this franchise and their terrible public image? — MinDakJack
Odegard: Love, sure. Give him 20 touches a game from Day 1. But rolling out Beck for the opener would make fans really, really excited… until the game began. I personally don’t think Beck will ever be a competent starting quarterback in the NFL, and he certainly won’t be ready to play in Week 1.
The public image is going to keep taking hits this season because the losses are going to mount early and often. Maybe Love will be a bright spot, but beyond that it’s really a waiting game for 2027.
Q: Any chance they win a game? — GreenMonkey315
Odegard: Yes! They may even win two!
Q: Why is Jacoby Brissett still on the roster? — ReezyBaby
Odegard: Monti Ossenfort is on the hottest of hot seats, and as evidenced by the decision to replace Murray with Brissett last season, he clearly thinks something of the career backup.
The Cardinals probably have the lowest ceiling in the NFL, so I personally wouldn’t blink an eye at Brissett getting released, but Ossenfort won’t do that and further risk his tenuous employment.
Q: What does a successful season for the Cardinals look like in your estimation? — Chalupa Batman
Odegard: Basically you want major progress from key building blocks. If some or most of Paris Johnson, Walt Nolen, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Will Johnson become legitimate Pro Bowl-level players, that would be best-case scenario.
At the same time, you want the quarterback play to be really bad, and the bounces to go against you in close games so that you don’t mess around and finish 6-11. This team badly needs to win three or fewer games in 2026. That’s a success.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Cardinals Mailbag: Trade Two First-Rounders For Baker Mayfield? appeared first on HEAVY.