All is well in Arizona, according to rookie head coach Mike LaFleur.
Presumed starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett has continued his absence from voluntary offseason work as he seeks a bump in pay.
Veteran edge Josh Sweat, the team's 2025 sack leader, is also missing from organized team activities with rumors swirling about his future with the team.
LaFleur is maintaining that he's not worried about either situation as he tackles his first year on the job.
"The few guys that weren't out there that you guys probably saw today, very much we knew that they weren't going to be here and a lot of it was planned ahead," the former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator told reporters Wednesday.
Brissett's been gone through the team's offseason program. While it's all voluntary, Brissett's absence is all the more notable because he is the quarterback, is seeking a new deal that pays him as a QB1 and must also learn a new offense under LaFleur.
When it comes to grasping the scheme, LaFleur has been consistent in his remarks that he's unworried about the 33-year-old, 10-season NFL veteran getting up to speed.
"Like I said, you'd be hard-pressed to see if Jacoby hasn't done most of what we are doing physically," LaFleur said. "It's word association from that point and cadences and all that kind of stuff. The hardest thing to teach a player is the speed of the game -- an NFL game, in general. He's played a lot of ball, so, he'll be just fine."
While news of Brissett's contract situation has been known since April, rumblings regarding Sweat are a bit newer. There have been reports that the Cardinals have received trade calls about acquiring Sweat, who posted 12 sacks last season and had a close relationship with former head coach Jonathan Gannon, who is now the Packers' DC.
"I don't even read into the offers," LaFleur said. "I'm just excited about the fact that I don't have to game plan against this guy. I got to know him when I first got this job. He's a good dude. He goes about his process and he's not the first guy to go about his process the way he is in terms of how he's training and all that."
With the buzz about a potential trade, Sweat's absence from OTAs has only heightened speculation. However, with Gannon as his head coach last season, Sweat wasn't at OTAs, either.
Sweat signed a four-year, $76.4 million free-agent deal last offseason. For a squad rebuilding after a 3-14 season, having a veteran pass rusher on board with a $16.38 million cap number this year and no guaranteed money in 2027 or 2028 could be seen as an unneeded expense.
The Cardinals' longtime leader and eight-time Pro Bowler, safety Budda Baker, similarly downplayed Brissett and Sweat's absences.
"I understand it," Baker said Wednesday. "It's OTAs, you don't have to be here. They got their situations that they got going on. When they come into the building, it's welcoming them in with open arms. Just understanding that the NFL's a business. No love lost. Love those guys. When they get in the building, they'll be in the building. Just keeping the main thing the main thing."
Arizona is currently in its second of three weeks for OTAs. Following next week's final three-day run of OTAs, mandatory minicamp is set for June 8-10. Should Brissett, Sweat or any other players miss mandatory minicamp, they would be subject to fines, unlike the current voluntary sessions.
