As the Cardinals rookies arrived in Tempe on Thursday for rookie minicamp, veteran tackle Paris Johnson Jr. – as he often does – was there to greet them.

He had a hug for new quarterback Carson Beck, and a reminder the two of them once took their official college visits to the University of Georgia together.

"That really aged me a little bit," Beck admitted later.

Johnson is entering his third NFL season, after choosing Ohio State instead. Beck picked Georgia, was there five seasons, and spent a sixth with the University of Miami before the Cardinals made him their third-round pick in April's draft.

Beck, who turns 25 in November, begins his Cardinals career behind Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew II on the depth chart. Whether he plays sooner or later depends on multiple variables, not the least of which being how he plays. But he has no regrets with how he got here.

"I think everybody has to run their own race," Beck said. "Those three years I had of playing and starting are priceless."

The Cardinals haven't given any public signals to what will happen at quarterback. They have not named a No. 1 QB, although Brissett had good chemistry with the team's pass catchers last season. Brissett is also reportedly looking for a contract adjustment and has not participated in voluntary work at this point.

"We have two guys who have played and started a lot of games in the NFL in Jacoby and Gardner and that's going to be a great competition," Ossenfort recently said on SiriusXM NFL radio. "We'll bring (Carson) in and see how much he can handle and we'll see how that competition plays out in the room. In the end the guy who is going to give us the best chance to win, that's who is going to be out there on Sundays."

Beck reiterated Thursday he just wants to learn about being an NFL quarterback and "enjoy the process." What that means in terms of depth chart status, he does not know.

"Even if I were to be the guy at some point, you are constantly learning, through game experience, through past experience, meetings, just talking to guys around the facility, you're trying to get breadcrumbs from each and every person," Beck said.

"There's only one guy out there (at quarterback). … Obviously, I would love to play and perform but again, we'll see where it takes me."

Beck, like the other rookies, have been participating on Zoom calls with coaches for the past week or so, prepping for some on-field work Friday and Saturday before joining the veterans for the offseason program beginning on Monday.

If he truly finds his way into an open competition, it'll be his first since winning the job at Georgia in 2023. That had been his dream, to start for the Bulldogs, and why he bided his time for three seasons (and two national championships) on the bench before taking over behind center.

He tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right (throwing) elbow in the SEC championship game in 2024, and when he transferred to Miami in 2025, he was still in a brace when workouts started.

"That's the mental battle with an injury like that and at the quarterback position that's probably the worst injury you could possibly have," Beck said. "You realize, 'Man, I just want to be out there and be able to play football. This sucks.'"

During some down time in his hometown of Jacksonville, he finally was allowed to throw about 10 yards. Two weeks into that stage of rehab, he was told, "Let it rip, you're being timid."

He let one fly and realized he was OK. That, he said, was the moment he knew he was back. Now, a year-and-a-half after surgery, his arm is as strong as it's ever been, the injury a distant memory. Miami made the national championship game with Beck at the helm.

Still, he knows there are people who doubt he can succeed on this level, who wonder about his arm after the injury, who see a player who spent six years in college. He acknowledged he's had a lot of highs and plenty of lows – Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said one of the things he likes about Beck is that he has been through some "stuff" – but he can't listen to any of it. Criticism or praise.

"It's all poison," he said.

What he plans to do is learn about being an NFL quarterback during these days in Tempe. He's played a lot of high-stakes college football, and that should aid his path. But he still needs to work at it.

"Experience is nothing," Beck said, "if there is no application from the lessons that you've learned from the experiences."