Due to their question marks at quarterback, it feels like the Atlanta Falcons have been rumored to be interested in signing or trading for every available QB on the face of the Earth. Its almost like the media thinks the Falcons are planning to hoard free agent QBs now that Kevin Stefanski is in town.
I understand all of the question marks surrounding Michael Penix Jr. and his injury history, but things are really getting out of hand in this area. All the Falcons truly need is some insurance in the event that Penix isn't ready to go for Week 1 instead of someone who will truly push him for the starting job.
Someone like Tua Tagovailoa or Kyler Murray could do more harm than good for the 25-year-old's development, but per the Boston Globe's Ben Volin, the Dirty Birds are being linked to a different veteran QB: Arizona Cardinals' backup Jacoby Brissett, who makes a surprising amount of sense in Atlanta.
The 33-year-old has been around the block as a backup QB, but has made more than his fair share of spot starts. He also comes with a connection to Stefanski, as he started 11 games for the Browns in Deshaun Watson's place in 2022, and we all know that Stefanski loves working with familiar faces.
Jacoby Brissett's history with Kevin Stefanski could have the Falcons staring down an interesting reality
The 2016 third-round pick from NC State made 12 starts for the Cardinals in 2025, so even though he went 1-11 as the starter, he put up solid numbers. He threw for 3,366 yards and 23 touchdowns, so if he picked up those extra five starts, he probably would've exceeded 4,000 passing yards on the year.
The issue is that a lot of his numbers were empty stats, since the Cardinals were consistently behind in games to the point that the majority of the second half was garbage time. Even still, he proved that he can thrive in the right system, especially with a strong supporting cast like he'd have in Atlanta.
Brissett was on New England's Super Bowl LI roster and has plenty of experience that could make him a strong mentor for Penix, and could draw a couple of starts if need be. He won't solve the Falcons' problems, but he and Joe Flacco seem to make the most sense as backup options.
The issue with Brissett is that there's a real shot that the Cardinals roll with him as the starter in 2026, especially since Murray is likely to be cut and Mike LaFleur could prefer the internal QB option instead of breaking the bank to sign Malik Willis, whom you could argue that Brissett is genuinely better than.
With that in mind though, if the Cardinals are willing to field trade offers on Brissett, Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt could be interested in a reunion with the veteran, even if he is a relatively uninspired addition to Atlanta's QB room who should be committed to Penix in the long-term once he returns.