TEMPE — The quarterback questions in Arizona aren’t going away anytime soon.

Kyler Murray’s practice window not opening this week despite being eligible has only kicked up more speculation as to what is going on within the Cardinals training facility.

The answers may not be right in front of your face — and a lot can happen between now and next season — but the writing is on the wall that we’ve likely seen the last of Murray as a Cardinal.

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has only helped put that thinking into overdrive given his current stint under center.

Brissett may have started the season as a backup to Murray, but the journeyman signal caller appears right at home in the desert.

You know the current NFL trend of reviving veteran quarterbacks’ careers? Brissett and Arizona are having one of those kinds of moments.

And he’s in no way taking it for granted.

“I love it. This is what I dreamt of as a kid,” Brissett said in November. “I’ve wanted to be in this position all my life. It’s come in different waves in my career, but whenever I do get the opportunity, I make the most of it.

“I’m a kid inside. I’m having a lot of fun. Obviously, I want to go win games and stuff like that, but I would’ve given a lot of money in Year 10 to be still playing in this league and be able to start, go out there and compete. I’m definitely enjoying myself as far as the opportunity aspect.”

Enjoying himself is one thing. Getting more out of Arizona’s offense is another.

Yes, the wins haven’t been there since Brissett has taken over (1-6) — they weren’t quite there with Murray (2-3), either — but the numbers have.

With offensive coordinator Drew Petzing tweaking the offense with the veteran under center, Brissett has completed nearly 68% of his throws for 2,188 yards and 13 touchdowns to four interceptions.

That includes his record-setting 47 completions — not to mention his 82.5% completion percentage and 454 passing yards — in a Week 11 loss to San Francisco.

Blowout or not, that hadn’t been done in NFL history.

In the seven-game stretch Brissett has taken over, he leads the NFL in completions (204), passing yards, first downs (106) and 300-yard games (four).

And as a result of Brissett’s play, Arizona has seen a jump in points per game (23.1) after scoring 20.6 across the five starts Murray logged.

Brissett is also getting the most out of tight end Trey McBride, who has more touchdowns under Brissett than he did across his first three seasons combined (eight) and paces the NFL in catches (88).

The same can be said about wide receiver Michael Wilson, who put up 303 yards on 25 catches in two games as Arizona’s WR1 with Marvin Harrison Jr. on the shelf.

Has he been perfect? Absolutely not. Like every NFL quarterback, he’s had his miscues. Is he the long-term option? No way. But for what the Cardinals need out of the quarterback position, he currently checks a lot of the boxes.

And for what he’s shown on the field, it’s what he possesses off of it that makes him even more of a prime candidate to be a key piece to Arizona’s 2026 plans.

Brissett brings with him noticeable leadership at the position that calls for it the most. The way players and coaches talk about his ability to lead isn’t just fluff. It’s legit. His ability to hang in the pocket and get through his reads despite taking hit after hit speaks to his poise under pressure.

Can you imagine what a mentor like that could do for Arizona’s next franchise signal caller?

If Murray is indeed elsewhere this offseason, the Cardinals could turn their attention at landing a rookie quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. A lot has to happen, such as moving up in the draft order via bad play the rest of 2025 or via trade, but it’s definitely a possibility.

And even then, Brissett remains an asset to the franchise.

Instead of having to throw a rookie into harm’s way from the jump, the Cardinals would have a trusted veteran option in Brissett while the guy behind him gets his NFL bearings.

And that’s not to say if things go array in a hurry, they can’t give the rookie a shot. It’s likely last-gasp city at that point, with heads about to roll if they hadn’t already.

We’ve already seen an example of Brissett helping out a rookie, too. Before his current tear as one of the league’s top signal callers, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was a beneficiary of Brissett’s mentorship during their time together last year.

Brissett’s spot in the starting lineup come 2026 isn’t concrete by any means. Again, a lot can happen from here until the start of next season. These next five games are critical in the evaluation process for him and the rest of the team.

A coaching change or two in the offseason could always impact Arizona’s offensive mindset, too.

But with how things are trending, Brissett just seems like a logical choice in helping the current regime get over the hump it’s struggling mightily to overcome.

Adding a few more wins to the record in 2026 would only reaffirm that thinking.