The road to paradise just got a little more bumpy

Mike LaFleur didn’t say yes to the first girl who asked him to dance. He waited and studied up on who his type was. Strange how most folks have “a type” of partner. Just one of those chemistry things, like preferring dark chocolate over milk. And then someone has to muck it up and ask for white chocolate.

Okay, okay, never write an article on an empty stomach. Got it.

RELATED: CARDINALS STILL WAITING ON BRISSETT

And for LaFleur, it wasn’t a girl, but an NFL team. The Arizona Cardinals to be exact. The Cardinals had a long list that became a short list for their next head coach. They had to ask permission to talk to LaFleur because he was still employed by the Los Angeles Rams, a division foe of the Cardinals.

The Rams were in the playoffs, and so everyone associated with the team who might be interviewed for open coaching or front office positions with other clubs had strict guidelines as to when these football men/women could be interviewed around their team’s postseason journey.

Remember this past college football season when Lane Kiffin got the LSU head coaching gig, who was not in the playoffs, and he left his Ole Miss squad, who was in the playoffs and had to rely on an assistant coach to help them run the table? The NFL never wants that type of mess to happen. Teams remain intact until they are out of the playoffs, and interviews for other jobs are always on the back burner.

So, after being contacted, LaFleur had some time to look over the Cardinals’ roster and see what they had, what the issues were, a good peek at their roster, what offensive weapons they had on file, and how the personnel that was already in place would fit his narrative and scheme going forward.

At some point, LaFleur decided to dump starting QB Kyler Murray and retain lifetime backup signalcaller Jacoby Brissett as his starting QB. That was quite a risk and a key decision. Releasing a seven-year former Number 1 overall draft pick, for a guy who is playing for his sixth NFL club during his 10-year career. On the flipside, Arizona was the only home Murray knew.

And so LaFleur ended up accepting the head coaching position with the Cardinals. He is an offensive-minded coach, and has specific needs on that side of the ball.

During free agency and then April’s college draft, GM Monti Ossenfort pretty much checked all of LaFleur’s boxes as far as personnel changes. Not that Ossenfort signed or drafted every player or position on LaFleur‘s want list, but most of those decisions were solidified.

Ossenfort was even able to bring in an experienced journeyman for the backup QB spot, Gardner Minshew. Then he selected a young buck to groom and develop in Carson Beck out of Miami, taken in Round 3.

And then, LaFleur announced that Brissett would be the starting QB this year. He didn’t wait until training camp began, or after a few preseason games, or even the week before the Week 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Nope, he just came right out and blurted the facts: Brissett was his guy.

But then Brissett made a declaration: He wanted a bump in pay.

When Brissett was signed way back last March to a two-year deal worth $12.5 million, it was to become Murray’s backup. Over $6 million a year riding the log is pretty good for a backup who wasn’t supposed to see the field that much. And why in the world did Ossenfort ink him to a two-year deal? Most veteran contracts that are for depth purposes usually are the one-year variety, just like Minshew was signed for this year.

We all know the story. As it turned out, Murray and the Cardinals’ offense sputtered each week until Murray suffered a foot injury in Week 5 against the winless Tennessee Titans (who were gifted their first win of the season). Brissett came in, and each week the offense sprang to life. WR Michael Wilson had a career year, while TE Trey McBride went to the Pro Bowl, all while the running back room was nothing but backups and practice squad guys. Arizona kept Murray on IR for the remainder of the year.

The point of all this is that LaFleur picked the Cardinals. He picked their offense with a list of changes. He chose Brissett over Murray. What LaFleur could have accomplished, was to keep Murray and then let the two savvy veterans duke it out, then get rid of the loser. But LaFleur didn’t. He let Murray go, then stated that Brissett was his guy.

Except Brissett is becoming anything but “the guy.”

He didn’t show for voluntary OTAs, which, technically, is not mandatory. Yes, we get that. No grown man gets up to vacuum or fold laundry unless they are told to. We get that, too. Plus, he has missed all of the voluntary offseason programs.

And Brissett is his own agent. So it comes down to what Ossenfort wants and what Brissett needs.

What’s next? ESPN Arizona is stating that Brissett and Ossenfort aren’t even close in negotiations on a reworked deal. To be factual, a source told ESPN Arizona that the two sides are “significantly” far apart.

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Now, don’t get this wrong. Brissett has his moments and has played in this league for 10 years. Label him experienced. Keep in mind, Brissett was 1-11-0 last year.

But this is a brand new head coach. He is an offensive coach, which means he will be installing a new offense. The terminology will be different. Schemes from other playbooks aren’t the same. The idea is to install an offense that looks almost identical to both the Rams and the San Francisco 49ers, which is where LaFleur sprouted off their coaching tree.

When the real stuff comes along, is Brissett still going to be AWOL? What if Ossenfort doesn’t wish to cave in to the demands and instructs Brissett to play out the contract that is still valid? What’s next? A holdout? Coming into training camp as a disgruntled athlete?

Everyone can see Brissett’s side of this matter. He was signed as a cheap backup, and now all of a sudden, he has been named the starting quarterback of one of 32 NFL clubs. His deal currently pays him $4.88 million for 2026, but bonuses can increase that easily to $5.39 million.

Those numbers rank #30 in QB salaries for 2026. Guys who are still on their rookie deals, who are paid more than Brissett, include Jayden Daniels, Bryce Young, Caleb Williams, and Drake Maye. Hell, four backups will get better paychecks each game than Brissett: Marcus Mariota (Washington), Davis Mills (Houston), Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis), and Deshaun Watson (Cleveland).

Next week begins the OTAs slated for June 1-2, plus June 4. The mandatory veteran minicamp will run from June 8 to June 10. What will happen when cleats meet artificial surfaces?

If Brissett continues to be a no-show, this places him in the category of a “hold-out” instead of a guy who has what he has always wanted: A starting QB job in the NFL with an offensive head coach behind him.

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