Join the huddle. Sign up here for Ravens updates in your inbox.

Thursday’s primetime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars showed how badly the 4-5 Ravens need a capable quarterback. Less than 24 hours later, the team believes it has its man.

The Ravens on Friday finalized their trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, a journeyman who turns 34 next month. The deal, first reported Wednesday, sends Brissett, who was demoted last week, to Baltimore for the Ravens’ 2027 fourth-round and 2028 seventh-round picks. The Cardinals are also sending a 2027 fifth-rounder along with Brissett in the deal, as ESPN was first to report.

Brissett lands on his seventh NFL team in 11 seasons with a reputation for stabilizing fraught quarterback situations, but with a limited ceiling. He went 3-5 as Arizona’s starter this season, throwing for 1,719 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 63.3% completion rate.

Advertise with us

Is this a good deal for the Ravens, who have lost four games in a row while struggling with the losses of Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley? Here’s what The Banner’s Ravens team makes of the acquisition — and the cost.

No one got fleeced here

By the trade charts, the Ravens didn’t give up that much to get a starting-level quarterback.

Let’s say the Ravens’ fourth-round pick is the No. 110 overall selection and the Cardinals’ fifth-rounder is No. 140. According to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, which the Ravens have hewed to pretty closely over the years, the difference between the fourth-rounder and the fifth-rounder is equivalent to ... a high fifth-round pick. Not exactly a big cost for a veteran starter. The Ravens are also sending over the 2028 seventh-round pick, but in an era where draft pools are shallower than ever, those picks haven’t mattered much.

Considering the Ravens are on the hook for less than $2.5 million in salary — and it’s still unclear whether Brissett’s cap hit will hit entirely in 2026 or affect part of their 2027 picture — this is a fair deal that helps both sides. And if Brissett impresses enough in Baltimore to sign a decent-sized deal elsewhere this offseason, the Ravens would likely earn a 2028 compensatory pick.

— Jonas Shaffer, Ravens reporter

Advertise with us

Exactly what I wouldn’t do

This should indicate that the Ravens have hope Lamar Jackson will return. Otherwise, I have serious questions about the move. I knew it wasn’t likely they would give up on the season, even with Jackson out. But no quarterback you could acquire, Brissett included, is getting this team to where it wants to go — the Super Bowl. Even if Brissett gets the Ravens to the wild-card round of the playoffs, what is the real cost? A worse draft slot in the first round? Fewer picks?

I do understand the deal. It’s hard to make it through eight more games without anything to play for. Thursday night’s showing solidified that. You can’t keep that type of performance up through the rest of the season. You still want players to play hard, especially the young ones who need to continue to develop. And you want the veterans to be able to go out there with pride. Brissett can give the Ravens’ young wide receivers and tight ends those reps, while also sustaining longer drives to give the defense more time to rest. Maybe his arrival can spark belief that the Ravens can stay in the hunt. It’s just not the move I would have made.

– Giana Han, Ravens reporter

DeCosta’s desperation play

On the one hand, I think trading for a bona fide QB was almost a must for Baltimore’s circumstances. The Ravens have too many vets who came into the season expecting to compete. They have a rookie head coach who didn’t sign up for a tanking season. They have a fanbase that is up in arms over busted expectations and calling for blood. The offense’s incredibly disappointing Thursday against the Jaguars is untenable with half the season remaining — the Ravens could not simply muddle through it.

But pouring more expense into this season feels difficult to justify given how badly the Ravens have played for much of it. This move feels like a reflection of just how dug in Eric DeCosta is on 2026: He already traded two picks for Cam Jurgens, and he is continuing to mortgage the future for a quarterback who got benched in Arizona.

Advertise with us

Brissett is undoubtedly an upgrade for the QB room, and getting him suggests that Baltimore is buying time for two-time MVP Lamar Jackson to get back to the field. But I don’t know if I accept the risk for the reward. It feels like DeCosta is making this move for his job security — not the best interests of future Ravens teams. When a GM who is typically conservative with his draft picks goes against type, that feels like desperation, not decisiveness.

— Kyle Goon, columnist