Cardinals Trade QB Jacoby Brissett to Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens are finalizing a trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport report. The deal was reported Wednesday and is expected to be completed over the weekend. The compensation has not been reported.

Baltimore will not have Brissett for Thursday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, since the trade is not expected to close before then. Rapoport reported that Brissett is expected to start when the Ravens host the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, Nov. 16, in Week 10. Baltimore has an 11-day break after the Jaguars game, which ESPN said should give Brissett enough time to prepare.

The Ravens need a quarterback because injuries have cleaned out the position. Lamar Jackson, a two-time MVP, hurt his right thumb in Sunday’s 36-10 loss at the Buffalo Bills. Coach Jesse Minter said Jackson needs surgery and that the injury could end his season. Backup Tyler Huntley left the game with a toe injury, and ESPN reported that his season is over. Undrafted free agent Joe Fagnano will make his first career start Thursday. Kedon Slovis and Austin Reed, both added this week, are the other quarterbacks on the roster. ESPN noted that if Brissett plays, he will be the fourth Ravens quarterback to throw a pass this season, tying a franchise record. Baltimore is 4-4, has lost three straight games and has not scored more than 13 points in any of them.

Brissett, 33, started Arizona’s first eight games. He completed 63.3 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, according to CBS Sports. Over his last 20 starts, ESPN reported, he has been sacked 62 times, tying for the league lead.

Arizona benched Brissett late in the third quarter of Sunday’s 33-30 overtime win at the Dallas Cowboys. Gardner Minshew II replaced him, threw three touchdowns and led a comeback from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals then named Minshew their starter, made Carson Beck the backup and dropped Brissett to third on the depth chart. ESPN reported that Brissett asked for a trade Monday and that talks with Baltimore began Sunday. The Cardinals are 3-5 and play the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.

The move reunites Brissett with a quarterbacks coach he worked with in Arizona last season and in Cleveland in 2022. Baltimore will be his seventh team. The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 10.

Jacoby Brissett fantasy managers in superflex and two-quarterback PPR leagues should add him if he is available. He is a realistic QB2 or low-end QB1 option once he takes over, and the Ravens have skill players who can carry a passing game. Zay Flowers is the receiver most likely to benefit from a more stable quarterback, and Derrick Henry gets an offense that should keep more drives alive than it did with Fagnano. In one-quarterback leagues, Brissett is a stash, not a Week 10 start, until he shows he can handle the sack rate behind Baltimore’s line. Flowers and Henry should stay in lineups as usual. If the trade falls through before the weekend, or if there’s any word that Fagnano keeps the job, this outlook would change right away.