The Baltimore Ravens wasted no time fixing their significant quarterback problems, as the team jumped on making a deal for Jacoby Brissett, who began the season as the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals.

Brissett had a solid start to the season before he began regressing back to the mean along with the rest of the Cardinals organization. In eight starts he posted 1,719 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. Those stats are a little better than they seem on paper, considering three of Brissett’s picks came in one horrific Week 4 game against the Giants.

What we don’t know right now is what the Ravens gave up. This is an awkward case where Adam Schefter is reporting that the trade isn’t going to be done until the weekend with the Ravens playing on Thursday Night Football, so rather grade this based on the trade itself — we’re looking at different criteria for both teams. When we know more about the deal itself, we’ll follow up.

Brissett is far from the perfect quarterback, but this is a solid fit for the Ravens. What they need at this point is someone who can take care of the football and stretch the field to take pressure out of the box so Derrick Henry has more free running room. Brissett can do one of those things really well.

There’s no question Brissett didn’t play mistake-free football in Arizona, but the Cardinals also had no real weapons outside of tight end Trey McBride and Michael Wilson, both of whom operate best on intermediary routes. Having the best pass-catching TE in football certainly helps and offense, but lacking an outside threat to stretch the field deep created a problem the Cardinals couldn’t solve.

In Baltimore that flips. Zay Flowers is a very good pass catcher who can operate as the Ravens’ No. 1 target, and Rashod Bateman is also a guy who works best on deeper routes. Both receivers averaged over 15 yards-per-reception with Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley under center, and that should continue with Brissett.

Perhaps, most importantly, Baltimore found a low-cost solution to their massive QB problem, and the best in a thin market. Teams still needing QBs will either need to try to convince the Raiders to give up Kirk Cousins (which won’t be easy with Las Vegas at 4-4), or settle for the incredible drop off to the next tier of quarterbacks which likely includes guys like Joe Flacco, Tyson Bagent, and Tua Tagovailoa.

In short: The Ravens didn’t find a perfect solution, but might have gotten the best guy they possibly could have right now, without mortgaging their future.

I’m an absolute sucker for a team being self-aware, which is why I love this deal for Arizona — whatever it is. Brissett was on a one-year deal, so this is absolutely about getting something for nothing, while also pushing their agenda forward when it comes to evaluating their future.

Nobody is under the illusion that Gardner Minshew will be the starter in Arizona for the rest of the season. It’s clear that the team is motivated to give him a few games, then begin to evaluate Carson Beck when he is ready to step in and gets back up to speed. That is undeniably the correct move for a team that will be drafting in the Top 10, and will be facing a QB decision in the 2027 draft.

Keeping Brissett was a sunk cost that did nothing for them. He didn’t figure into their future at this point, nor should he have. This will allow Brissett to make an impact for a team hoping to make a playoff push, while the Cardinals can continue their rebuild, which is already ahead of schedule as Arizona is more competitive than most gave them credit for this season.