The Baltimore Ravens were hoping for good weather when Lamar Jackson returned to the gridiron in Week 8 after missing three games due to an ankle injury. But it seemed that the winds were not in their favor, as the quarterback suffered a potentially season-ending right thumb injury on the very first play, leaving undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to pick up the slack. 

But head coach Jesse Minter admitted that Fagnano did not have enough reps before being thrown in the deep end, and the Ravens’ Week 8 and 9 losses seemed to indicate the same. This led the front office to sign former UFL quarterback Austin Reed to their active roster, while also navigating a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire Jacoby Brissett. However, according to KPRC2 reporter Aaron Wilson’s recent X post, with Brissett’s move to Baltimore confirmed, the Ravens’ interest in Reed seems to have worn off.

“#Ravens waived Austin Reed and finalized Jacoby Brissett trade terms from #Cardinals,” Wilson wrote.

With both Jackson and Tyler Huntley (who also sustained a turf toe injury) out of the picture, Brissett’s arrival gives the Ravens a more experienced veteran option compared to the inexperienced Fagnano and Reed, who, while capable, has zero regular-season NFL snaps. Despite being a part of the Chicago Bears’ practice squad since going undrafted in 2024, Reed spent the 2024 season on the Bears’ practice squad, later played for the Dallas Renegades, where he recorded 21 touchdowns for 1,923 yards across 10 games, and joined the Ravens in 2026.

After starting all 10 UFL games for the Renegades, Reed originally signed with the Ravens back in August 2026. He spent training camp and the preseason with Baltimore before being waived during final roster cuts on August 29, 2026. He later returned to the Ravens’ practice squad in November 2026 following injuries to Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley.

Meanwhile, Brissett has 11 years of experience in the league, playing 109 games across his stints with six different teams, most recently with the Arizona Cardinals. He recorded 86 touchdowns for 16485 yards and maintained an average completion rate of 62.1%.

This season alone, he started all eight games for Arizona, scoring 10 touchdowns for 1719 yards, averaging a 63.3% pass completion rate. The only reason he became available was that he was benched in favor of quarterback Gardner Minshew and relegated to third string.

Considering the Ravens are already facing significant cap constraints due to top-heavy veteran contracts for players like Jackson, linebacker Roquan Smith, defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, waiving Reed seemed to be a natural next move to accommodate Brissett’s contract.

The trade proved to be quite lucrative for the Baltimore team, since Arizona also provided them with a way to incorporate the veteran quarterback into their roster without further compromising the cap space they cleared this season by restructuring Lamar Jackson’s contract.

What Were the Terms of the Ravens’ Jacoby Brissett Trade With the Cardinals?

The Ravens received Brissett and a 2027 fifth-round draft pick from the Cardinals in exchange for two draft picks: a 2027 fourth-round and a 2028 seventh-round selection. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the Cardinals also paid “a little more than half of Jacoby Brissett’s remaining 2026 salary to complete the trade.”

Brissett had signed a one-year, $15.5 million reworked contract with the Arizona Cardinals for the 2026 season, which included a $5.8 million signing bonus and a max value up to $21 million with incentives. But they restructured Brissett’s contract before his move to Baltimore, converting $2.7 million of his remaining $5.4 million salary into a signing bonus. 

So, the Ravens owe the veteran quarterback between $2.45 million and $2.7 million for the remainder of the season, depending on whether the trade was finalized before or after Thursday night.