​It’s been a minute since I’ve done an Arizona Cardinals mailbag, but with training camp on the horizon next week, it felt like a good time to answer some burning questions. Thanks to those who took time to send them in.Q: Is Baker Mayfield signed/extended yet? If not, why not offer Tampa #1 in 2027, #1 in 2028 and Brissett. And pay him $150 million for three years? Why wouldn’t TB take 2 1sts for him? It would make the Cards instant contenders. — Rob WeinerOdegard: I’m almost positive the Buccaneers would take that deal. But if you’re the Cardinals, aren’t you basically back in the same spot as you were when Kyler Murray was at the helm, but now without two first-rounders?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBaker Mayfield is a good quarterback, but not a great one, and paying him $50 million per season hamstrings the way you can build out the roster around him.It would be a short-term adrenaline jolt to trade for Mayfield, but the team would not be a contender due to the state of the defense. No, the best path for the Cardinals is to take their medicine this season and then hope to land a dirt-cheap quarterback through the draft next season. It’s the much better long-term play.Q: Who do you think will start at QB and why? — ValentinOdegard: There might be some posturing over the next week or so, and maybe the Cardinals acquiesce and give Brissett a small bump in pay for 2026. But even if they don’t budge, I would be shocked if Brissett has any sort of hold-in or hold-out when the players hit the field.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt’s all well and good to ask for a raise during the idle time of the offseason, but if Brissett doesn’t take the field with his teammates, new coach Mike LaFleur may just hand the reins over to Gardner Minshew.I’d expect any offseason bluster to be gone by the time camp starts, and for Brissett to settle in as the starter, at least for the first six weeks of the season.Q: Obviously, you’ve been very down on the Cardinals lately. Who do you see as potential trade candidates at the deadline to rack up more picks? — Chris BarbreOdegard: There are a couple of very obvious candidates. Josh Sweat is one of the team’s best players and would really help a contender. If he plays well for the first half of the season and can fetch a Day 2 pick, the team should consider it.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementSafety Budda Baker isn’t going to bring back the same type of return, but there’s not much downside in spinning him off for a pick if the Cardinals start horribly, as expected.And then there is Brissett, who could be a wanted commodity depending on injuries around the league. Arizona will likely want to give Carson Beck a look in the second half of the year, so dealing Brissett would make a lot of sense for both player and team.Q: Which, if any, players might you focus on during training camp? And why those players? — Ed HelinskiOdegard: There are several players to watch.