Arizona Cardinals quarterback Gardner Minshew has suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament and is expected to undergo season-ending surgery, according to sources reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Minshew is still finalizing the exact timing of the procedure, but the plan is clear: the injury will end his 2026 campaign.
The setback traces to last Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks. On the final play of the first half, Seahawks edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. struck Minshew as he was in the act of throwing, forcing a fumble.
Minshew appeared to be in significant pain yet remained in the game, completing the second half in a 17-3 loss.
He finished 21 of 30 for 166 yards with no touchdowns and three sacks.
The Cardinals later placed him on injured reserve, confirming he will miss at least the next four weeks and, in practice, the remainder of the season.
The news arrives only days after Minshew’s brief but memorable stint as Arizona’s starter.
In Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys, he entered in the third quarter with the Cardinals trailing and led a comeback that produced four touchdown drives plus a game-winning field goal in overtime.
That performance prompted coach Mike LaFleur to name him the starter going forward, demoting Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett was subsequently traded to the Baltimore Ravens, leaving the Cardinals thin at the position when the injury occurred.
With Minshew sidelined, Arizona has turned to rookie Carson Beck, the third-round pick out of Miami who will make his first NFL start against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Cardinals also signed veteran Josh Johnson off the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad to provide additional depth.
The receiving corps is already depleted after Michael Wilson was lost for the year with a neck injury, so Beck steps into a challenging situation on a team that entered the week at 3-6.
For Minshew, a well-traveled veteran who has started for multiple teams and last played for the Chiefs, the injury ends a short-lived return to the starting role.
For the Cardinals, it accelerates the evaluation of Beck and leaves the offense navigating the rest of the schedule without the quarterback who had briefly sparked them.
