The Detroit Lions have been fortunate to have their starting quarterback start every game over the last four seasons. Perhaps that explains why we're still waiting for general manager Brad Holmes to deliver on a years-ago professed "emphasis" on the No. 2 spot on the depth chart, only to see Teddy Bridgewater brought back for a third stint this offseason.
Bridgewater, with 15 pass attempts over the last three seasons, is one snap away from having to play unless undrafted rookie Luke Altmyer beats him out. Yes, Bridgewater has intangible qualities everyone loves to laud. But if Jared Goff suffers a serious injury, any chance the Lions have at a rebound season will go down with him.
Between now and Week 1, Holmes should keep his eyes open for opportunities to upgrade the backup quarterback situation. A recent development could be regarded as a mulligan opportunity to get that done.
Door may be open for Lions to fix their, and another team's, problem
On Monday, as on-field OTAs started for several teams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett was not in attendance. Not being present for what is still voluntary offseason work isn't necessarily a big deal for a lot of players. But Brissett is considered the Cardinals' starting quarterback right now, so it's kind of a thing.
Rapoport also confirmed the reason Brissett is absent. He has not taken part in any of the Cardinals' offseason program to this point because he wants a pay raise. Entering the final year of the two-year deal he signed in 2025, he is due to make $4.88 in base salary this season and $1.5 million of that is fully guaranteed.
The longer Brissett stays away, the more it could hurt his chances to stay atop the depth chart. However, with the Cardinals lined up to be pretty bad in Mike LaFleur's first season as head coach, maybe he doesn't care all that much about his chances to start. Even here in May, an eventual transition to rookie Carson Beck as the starter seems inevitable.
As his contract is currently constructed, a team that trades for Brissett would take on a $5.44 million cap hit for 2026, covering his base salary, the total of his per-game roster bonuses ($510,000) and a $50,000 workout bonus.
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There is a fly in the ointment Brissett is surely aware of regarding his 2026 outlook on the Cardinals' roster. According to Spotrac, he gets a $1 million bonus if he plays 50 percent of the offensive snaps. If he plays 65 percent of the snaps, he would activate a $2 million bonus.
Let's just go ahead and assume the Cardinals won't be letting Brissett collect those bonuses if they can at all help it.
So it really comes down to how hard a line Brissett wants to hold in an effort to get the Cardinals to boost his pay. He can be fined for missing mandatory minicamp. Maybe he's lightly angling to be traded, and general manager Monti Ossenfort might eventually be compelled to oblige.
With a tie to offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, Brissett would be a seamless fit for the Lions' No. 2 quarterback spot. Ideally, the Cardinals would have just cut him this offseason to make bringing him in easier. At this point, though, giving up a Day 3 pick with a reasonable boost to his pay on the back end of a trade wouldn't be bad.
In one fell swoop, the Lions could add a viable backup quarterback and take care of a headache the Cardinals may not want to deal with. Holmes should make a call and see about a trade now, then call again before training camp if it didn't get done.
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