It's a bright-and-early mailbag, to get it out into the ether before anything changes between Monday night and where we now are Tuesday morning. So yeah, mailbag time. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.

From James J:

"No Malik Willis. And no Jimmy G. Gardner Minshew instead. So we are going with Brissett? Is that the quarterback plan? I just don't get it, seeing that we didn't win games last season. The Willis contract was super reasonable."

Yes, it certainly looks like Jacoby Brissett will be the starter in 2026, and Minshew as the backup -- unless a) Minshew somehow has a crazy training camp and is that much better than Brissett or b) they draft a QB like Ty Simpson and he shows himself better than expected right away before the season starts.

The Willis contract was not overwhelming, that's true. But you are assuming that the Cardinals had interest in signing him or saw him as an answer. If not, then it didn't really matter what he ended up getting.

From Dent Lewis:

"I feel bad for Monti. I see what he's trying to do, but the fandom doesn't have the patience to be patient. Do you feel like it would be bad form if the team just came out and said 'trust the process'? In no way am I implying we are tanking (we aren't; in fact I could go on a rant why that concept makes no sense), but we are definitely planning for our window to be 2027 and beyond. That means making smart decisions today, to set ourselves up for a year from now.

So far, from what I can tell:

• Roll with Jacoby at QB1, by far the best option available to us;
• Build the OL in the draft (TBD)
• Go all in on a rookie QB 2027, and which time he'll have the benefit of this revamped OL

Best of luck to Willis and the Dolphins, but you don't make major moves for temporary problems. We might not win a lot in 2026 but you can bet Trey and Mike are going to feast with Jacoby at QB."

I do think there is a plan -- what you suggest fits, although I don't know for sure, Monti isn't looping me in -- but to say how much they are going to win is TBD. Owner Michael Bidwill made it clear he is hoping/counting on a quick turnaround. I know this, and I know most fans hate it when I say stuff like this, but get back to me when we get to the end of the offseason and we see what the roster looks like. You don't know what it is now, on March 10, before an free agent signings are even official and definitely before the draft.

From Logan S:

"Don't get me wrong, I love having Conner stay. But we signed a running back and I just wish they would go with the best player in the draft and take Love and give us the Adrian Peterson we never had. We deserve it Darren!"

Deserve is a strong term, Logan. I'm on record as saying I don't believe in taking a running back that high, and I stand on that thought. I also know there are plenty of people that think Jeremiyah Love is going to be generational and needs to be the pick. That's fine. Conner isn't a long-term answer. Allgeier is reportedly only a 2-year contract. I suppose Love could still be the selection, although I would doubt it. Running back, to me, is always a year-to-year build. That's just how I see it.

From Sidney Sexson:

"Darren, in reference to the announcement regarding Kyler, let me know if I am thinking correctly -- an interested team could actually have a better deal by negotiating a trade where we paid virtually all of Kyler's guaranteed salary and they gave up a late-round draft pick but didn't have to negotiate a new salary. In addition, if more than one team is interested they would assure themselves to acquire him. It seems that may be an angle Monti may be pursuing."

I don't think that will happen, for one simple reason: In order to change Kyler's contract in that way, Murray has to agree to it. I think he'd prefer to be a straight free agent and allow himself full flexibility. Also, at this point, Murray could be had for the minimum $1.3 million salary; the motivation to give up any draft capital there isn't strong. Plus the new team would be on the hook for the 2027 year of the contract, which guarantees $20M, and I doubt a) that team would want to commit to that or b) Murray would want to be able to be stuck at that number when he could hit free agency after this season.

From Robert Malicki:

"Hello, Darren. Great news for the August 6th HOF game. Both teams to represent the performing teams and our new coach gets a head start in team evaluation. My question has to do with the whirlpool reality of Kyler. The whys and wherefores can be debated ad nauseum but I am bewildered by the cap, trade, monetary penalties, etc. Are the Cardinals following the roadmap of how other teams dealt with divorcing their own 'QB of the Future' and swallowing the cost? A second question has to do with Jalen Thompson. What's the chance of him re-signing?"

I don't know if there is a "roadmap" to move off a highly-paid QB, but generally, it is now commonplace for teams to understand sunk cost and just make a clean break -- whether it was the Broncos and Russell Wilson, the Cardinals and Kyler or the Dolphins and Tua. Trades are wonderful if you can pull them off, but with these contracts, there are reasons these teams are moving on from these QBs and the rest of the league usually agrees with that sentiment at the price these contracts hold at that moment

As for Jalen Thompson, he is headed to the Cowboys.

From James Leak:

"Hi Darren. What's the thinking behind cutting Dalvin Tomlinson? We are already thin on the DL. He played all 17 games, maybe a little underwhelming, but he's a big body and dependable. We still don't know what Calais Campbell's status is, but assuming he retires, our DL room is suddenly in very dire straights. 'We hope Walter is healthy and D-Rob steps up' is a terrible strategy."

Tomlinson was scheduled to make more than $12 million in salary this season. Given how last season went, that was never going to come to pass. I am sure they had some discussions about revising the deal, but when that happens, the player -- who likely knew there would be a discussion when he signed the deal last offseason -- can make the decision to go back into free agency. I think it's safe to say last year didn't play out for Tomlinson either the way he or the team expected. Sometimes moving on makes sense.

Bringing back Roy Lopez, who if he hadn't left in 2025 probably would've meant the Cardinals never would've signed Tomlinson, will help as a replacement. You know he fits with Nick Rallis' defense. He was solid when he was here.

From Roger Johnson:

"How active do you see the Cardinals in free agency? Can we expect any big names?"

Well, after the first day, I think it's safe to say big names weren't necessarily on the docket, but at the same time, I don't think there were a lot of true "big names" available. For instance, Malik Willis wasn't a big name in my opinion. He was at the top of the availability list because of his position. Most "big" names were tagged. We will see how this plays out. There were five additions on Monday, and while they weren't "names" they were necessary. The pickup of guard Isaac Seumalo was the most important; he'll step into the starting lineup.

From Jake Samson:

"You obviously don't have to post this Darren, but I was just so disappointed with the lack of reading comprehension and basic football understanding by my fellow fans in the Brissettliever camp, so I have quick notes for them: Box score watching is very, very bad without knowing what actually happened in the context of the games. Those raw stats mean next to nothing. We're not planning for an offense that will have no run game, that's absurd, and the line wasn't particularly terrible. My question is, if we had a good QB, an elite TE, at least one very good receiver, a slightly below average line, and a poor RB room, how in the world did we go 1-11 and find ourselves down 14-plus at the half six different times?"

Well, I don't have to post it, but I will. Although I will admit, I am not sure of exactly what you are asking in terms of Brissett? Are you asking why he didn't win more, or explaining that it made sense that he didn't win more? I think with Brissett, he is a good bridge. I think you could do much worse than having him as your 2026 QB. I think he needs a lot of help from everyone around him, but at this point, that is 90 percent of the quarterbacks in the league.

Quarterback was always going to be the big question of the 2026 offseason. Frankly, it was always going to be an unknown and even once they "settle" on a QB room, I think we're still going to feel that way until the games start playing out. At this point, however, it looks like Brissett will be the starter heading into the offseason.

From J Turbo:

"What does the salary cap look like. Do you think Monti is looking to rebuild or cut salary costs?"

The cap is fluid as everything right now but safe to say there is plenty of room to maneuver. Anyone the Cardinals cut yes is to create cap room, but it's also about weighing if it makes sense to keep a player at the number you are scheduled to pay a guy. In the end, teams don't get rid of good players. They find ways to keep them. There is always nuance, but if a team moves on from a player, they understand they don't feel they have to have that guy. For whatever reason.

From Ken McMullin:

"Why won't the Cardinals let Kyler Murray play in 2026 starting out healthy and looking to improve upon his potential and ultimately his price? If it goes well, no $36 million cap hit. If it doesn't go well, then get rid of him in 2026-27."

Well, let's be clear Ken: There is no $36M cap hit. There is a $55M cap hit, give or take, regardless of whether he is on the roster or not. If you kept him, that also means guaranteeing another $20M for 2027, so under your scenario, you are already committing another $20M for a guy who you are ready to move on from.

I get what you are saying. If you are going to pay him, have him on the roster. But for both the Cardinals and for Kyler, the time has come to go their separate ways. That happens in this business. Waiting longer after seven years, for both sides, just didn't make sense.

From Joy:

"Darren, first of all I'd like to apologize for leaving you out a couple weeks ago when I complimented Paul and Craig on their podcast about Larry. I know they can't function without you, lol. My question concerns Kyler. Not whether he's staying or going because i know you don't have that answer. But is he ready to play? Is his foot all healed?"

Obviously we know now the answer about Kyler -- you sent this in just before that all came down, but Joy, can I pass on the chance to have you publicly apologize to me? Of course not.

So Murray will be free on Wednesday. Is his foot healed? I can't say for sure. There has been no injury description/update/prognosis this whole time. But is he ready to play? Something tells me, yes. Yes indeed.