After releasing former No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray weeks ago, the Arizona Cardinals need a new long-term answer at quarterback.
And neither 33-year-old Jacoby Brissett, nor 29-year-old Gardner Minshew are it.
Aside from swinging deals for either San Francisco 49ers QB Mac Jones or Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardsonm the Cardinals’ only other option — at least this season — would be to gamble on a passer in the draft.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza is expected to go No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, and there’s a big drop-off in talent after that. But fortunately for the Cardinals, many scouts have a Round 1-grade on Alabama’s Ty Simpson.
The only problem is if the Cards want him, they’ll likely have to trade back into the first round given they’re unlikely to take him third overall.
But that’s exactly what ESPN’s Mel Kiper believes they’ll do. In his final mock draft of the offseason, Kiper predicted the Cardinals will swing a deal with the Miami Dolphins, sending them picks No. 34 and 65 for picks No. 30 and 94, allowing them to grab Simpson late in Round 1.
“The Jets have the 33rd pick to kick off Round 2, so I wouldn’t be surprised if one of these QB-needy teams tries to trade back into Round 1 to get ahead of New York and also secure the fifth-year option on Ty Simpson,” Kiper wrote.
“… The Cardinals could absolutely wait until 2027 to find their next franchise QB, and this small trade up at the end of Round 1 wouldn’t keep them from doing so anyway. But there’s an opportunity for Arizona to land a talented passer at good value.
“You might have heard that Simpson has started only 15 games, and that lack of experience is a concern. But he is also accurate, mobile and smart in the way he dissects opponent defenses. He threw 28 touchdown passes to only five interceptions last season. Why not take a swing at the most important position in the game?”
As Kiper mentioned, if the Cardinals end up taking Simpson, it wouldn’t necessarily preclude them from taking another first-round QB next year.
In fact, Arizona has a history of doing that very thing. The Cards took UCLA QB Josh Rosen with the 10th overall pick in the 2018 draft, and turned around and picked Murray No. 1 overall the following year.
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