Another day, another update regarding the ever evolving situation at quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. On Friday it was confirmed that the anticipated deal between the Ravens and Cardinals had been completed with the final framework seeing Baltimore acquire QB Jacoby Brissett and a 2027 fifth round pick in exchange for a 2027 fourth and a 2028 seventh round selection.
After losing Tyler Huntley to a season ending turf toe injury, and with no clear timeline for if or when starter Lamar Jackson would return from his thumb injury, the Ravens were in desperate need of a veteran QB to help stabilize their situation under centre. With undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano starting on Thursday, Baltimore turned in their 3rd straight loss of 20 or more points, while simultaneously being held to under 14 points for a fourth straight game.
Meanwhile in Arizona, Brissett became expendable after the Cardinals decided to bench him in favour of Gardner Minshew leading to the clubs working out the framework of a deal relatively quickly.
“Have the utmost respect for Jacoby Brissett,” Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort said. “Going back to last year, what he did to stabilize a position that was in flux last year and the toughness and the leadership that he brought to that position, the professionalism, the way that he went about his job every day, took a lot of shots, kept getting up, a lot of respect for Jacoby.”
Brissett had previously held out over the summer after angling for a new contract with the team. Ultimately Arizona would restructure the veteran signal caller’s deal, converting most of his salary into a signing bonus. As such, Baltimore will only be on the hook for roughly $2.5M for the duration of the season.
When asked to provide an update on Jackson, head coach Jesse Minter declined to speak on the matter. Baltimore has been mum on the situation over the last week, with many assuming that the former league MVP could be done for the season barring a deep playoff run for the Ravens.
Brissett will now look to revitalize a passing game that has ground to a stop over the last several weeks. Wide receiver Zay Flowers, who was at one point near the top of the NFL receiving yards list, has recorded a grand total of 6 yards through the air over the team’s last two contests.
While few will confuse the 33 year old quarterback with prim Peyton Manning, he will certainly provide an upgrade to an anemic passing game for the Maryland based club.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.