The 2026 NFL season will be a tanking season the likes of which we haven’t seen since the 2011 “Suck for Luck” campaign. Based on a recent set of moves that one team is made, a “frontrunner” for Texas QB Arch Manning appears to be emerging.
The Arizona Cardinals, who went 3-14 this past season before firing head coach Jonathan Gannon and hiring Mike LaFleur to replace him, have been getting some media buzz this week for a rather awkward position they’re in at quarterback. As it stands, the only QBs they have under contract are journeymen Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II along with third year man Kedon Slovis.
Advertisement
ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio stated that the state of the Cardinals QB room indicates that they don’t have a legitimate plan at the position for 2026, which in turn suggests that they’re just going to tank the season for Arch Manning.
The Long March for Arch?
“Maybe the overriding plan, if there is one, is to accept reality for 2026 and allow nature to take its course. The prize could be dibs on whoever the top quarterback is after the 2026 college football season,” Florio mused.
Advertisement
“The popular assumption is that it will be Arch Manning. As we’ve seen, however, the player who emerges as the consensus number one for the next year could be a player no one is even thinking about currently. It happened with Mendoza. It happened with Joe Burrow…”
“Not having a clear plan at quarterback becomes a key ingredient in the stew of factors that could position Arizona for its next shot at a generational talent without having to try very hard to make that happen, once the 2026 season launches.”
Nov 1, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images
The Cardinals had what they felt was a franchise quarterback in Kyler Murray from 2019 through 2025, but after seven seasons the team decided that it was time to move on as part of their rebuild.
Advertisement
It’s been a decade since the Cardinals won a playoff game and they don’t want to find themselves in another decade of purgatory. Perhaps Arch Manning can lead them out of it. But they have to land him first.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Apr 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.