Former Cougars QB Minshew returns to Washington with Arizona to face the Seahawks

The Cardinals are looking for quarterback Gardner Minshew to recapture some of his Washington State magic on Sunday when Arizona visits the Seattle Seahawks.

Minshew, who excelled for the Cougars under the late coach Mike Leach, has taken over as starter for the Cardinals after leading Arizona to a come-from-behind victory over the Dallas Cowboys last weekend.

Minshew was selected as the Cardinals' new starter on Tuesday, supplanting Jacoby Brissett, ahead of Sunday's game. Brissett, meanwhile, is headed to the Baltimore Ravens.

Minshew is familiar to Washington football fans, having played his senior season for the Cougars in Pullman on the east side of the state. Under Leach's Air Raid offense, Minshew set a Pac-12 record for passing yards in 2018.

Seahawks tackle Abe Lucas was on that Washington State team, too.

“He’s a hell of a guy and hell of a player. I can’t say enough great things about him. I’d love to see him have success and be in the NFL as long as he’s been and just continue to go until the wheels fall off,” Lucas said. "Obviously, I want to beat him this week, but I am just happy for him. I love the guy.”

Washington State won a school-record 11 games, including an Alamo Bowl victory, in Minshew's single season with the Cougars. He won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors before he was a sixth-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Minshew has bounced around the NFL since then, landing with the Cardinals this season on a one-year deal worth $5.75 million.

He said he was grateful for the opportunities that came from his time at Washington State.

“To be here now, it’s still hard to wrap my head around it. (I’m) so grateful for it (and) so fired up to be headed back up there where so many people were so good to me,” Minshew said of the trip to the Pacific Northwest. "Yeah, I always think about that going up there.”

He'll face a Seahawks team that is coming off a 34-17 loss at home on Monday night to the Chicago Bears , which dropped the defending Super Bowl champions to 4-4.

The Seahawks are also shuffling their quarterbacks. Sam Darnold has been ruled out of Sunday's game because of a quad injury and backup Drew Lock is set to take his place.

Darnold was hurt on the final drive of the loss to the Bears. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Darnold also cracked a rib early in the game.

Darnold missed Seattle's 31-7 Week 2 victory over the Cardinals because of a glute injury he sustained in the opener against the Patriots. Last season, when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, Darnold did not miss a game.

“I have a lot of respect for how he goes through these things because he goes through it. There’s no blink, there’s no flinch. It’s a very matter of fact, attacking mentality, which is reflective of the rest of our team, which I appreciate,” Macdonald said.

Arizona (3-5) at Seattle (4-4)

When/where to watch: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, FOX.

Latest odds: Seahawks by 10 1/2.

Against the spread: Cardinals 4-4, Seahawks 2-4-2.

Last week: The Cardinals beat the Cowboys 33-30 in OT, the Seahawks lost to the Chicago Bears 34-17.

Last meeting: The Seahawks beat the Cardinals 31-7 on Sept. 20, 2026, in Glendale, Arizona.

Series record: Seahawks lead 32-22-1.

Will Seattle's Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price fare better against the Cardinals than on Monday night against the Bears? Both running backs returned from injuries but didn't have much of an impact in the loss, with Price gaining 29 yards on 10 carries and Charbonnet with 23 yards on six.

Overall, the Seahawks rank 19th in the NFL with an average of 109.6 yards rushing a game entering Week 9. The Cardinals, meanwhile, are ranked 19th in the NFL in allowing opponents an average of 122.1 rushing yards per game.

— Seattle has won the past 10 meetings with the Cardinals, including a 31-7 road victory in Week 2.

— The Seahawks' defense hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in 37 straight games, the longest current streak in the NFL.

— The Cardinals beat the Cowboys 33-30 in overtime last week for their third win of the season, matching their win total from last season.

— Seattle WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba needs 15 receiving yards to reach 1,000 yards for the third season. If he has 100 yards against the Cardinals it will be his fifth straight game with as many. He needs a pair of touchdowns to reach 11, which would be a single-season career high.

— Cardinals RB Tyler Allgeier was selected as the NFC player of the week after running for 147 yards and a touchdown on just 11 carries. He was the team’s only running back by the end of the game. Allgeier has 748 straight carries without a fumble, which is the longest active streak in the NFL.

— Entering Week 9, Seattle has 13 takeaways, tied for third in the league. The Seahawks are 15-0 when they win the turnover battle under Macdonald.

— The Cardinals have won three road games this season, tied for the most in the NFL.

— Cardinals TE Trey McBride has caught 66 passes this season, which leads the NFL and is the highest total through eight games for a TE in NFL history. He has made at least seven catches in the past 10 games.

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