It was a surprise to many when the Arizona Cardinals selected a quarterback in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, using pick No. 65 on Carson Beck out of the University of Miami.
Arizona, which already had Jacoby Brissett under contract and coming off a solid 2025 season, as well as Gardner Minshew, who signed on a one-year deal, didn’t seem like it was in the business of bringing in another signal-caller. But as always, some teams never let the public know their next move, which led to the surprising selection of Beck.
Joining a team full of skill position players, who all inherited single-digit numbers at their time of arrival, left Beck without many options when OTAs rolled around. Even the numbers in the teens were all taken. This left Beck with no choice but to take an untraditional route, one not many quarterbacks follow.
"I looked and thought, 'There are no numbers between 1 and 19 except 19. Oh no. All my friends started making fun of me. Not many quarterbacks have 19. So, in my head, I need to turn it into a positive thing: Ok, let's make it my own.”
MORE: Cardinals GM has a funny response when asked about Carson Beck starting immediately
MORE: Here's what an ideal contract extension for Jacoby Brissett would (and should) look like for the Cardinals
MORE: ESPN predicts when Cardinals fans can expect to see Carson Beck under center
Despite it not being worn by many quarterbacks in today’s league, there is one legend who wore it that happens to be in the Hall of Fame. We are talking about Johnny Unitas, who earned three MVPs, five All-Pros, and is a Super Bowl Champion.
Not to mention that No. 19 was also worn by Cardinals legend John Skelton.
