Has Kyler Murray played his last snap in Arizona?
That question has spread across the NFL in the wake of the latest developments regarding the Cardinals’ star quarterback. If Murray were to become available in the offseason, he would immediately become one of the biggest names on the annual quarterback carousel.
To recap: the Cardinals won their first two games of the year with Murray under center, albeit against easier opponents. They then lost three straight to the 49ers, Seahawks, and Titans by a combined five points. Murray injured his foot against the Titans, but he only missed a few snaps before finishing the game. He missed the next two weeks with reports of a Lisfranc-related injury raising concern about a longer absence, and did not play in Week 9 despite hopes of a post-bye return. In Murray’s absence, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett led the Cardinals offense to three of their four highest points and yardage totals of the season, though only one of those games ended in victory. Brissett’s passer rating, yards per attempt, and touchdown-to-interception ratio all outpace his younger teammate, too.
That clearly stirred some discussions in Arizona. First, head coach Jonathan Gannon said earlier this week that “nothing’s changed” regarding Murray and the team’s quarterback situation, indicating that the former No. 1 overall pick would play once he was healthy. The next day, Gannon seemed to change his tune when he announced that Brissett would remain the starter, which was quickly explained Murray’s subsequent move to injured reserve.
It is unclear what happens next. Murray will be on IR until at least Week 14. He was diagnosed with “a mid-foot sprain in the area of a Lisfranc injury,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Nothing is broken or dislocated, but a partially torn ligament and the resulting swelling need more time to fully heal. Murray’s limited participation in practice for the last few weeks suggests that he could play if it was absolutely necessary, but the risk of re-injury has steered the Cardinals down the cautious path.
General manager Monti Ossenfort is expecting Murray to return this season, but whether or not he regains his starting job will be determined at a later date. The Cardinals’ performance in the meantime could be a major factor in that decision. Despite a 2-5 start, they refused to consider selling players at the trade deadline due to a minus-13 point differential that suggested they were better than their record. Monday night’s 10-point primetime win in Dallas supported that theory.
However, Murray’s absence features a tough slate of matchups for the Cardinals. Their next four opponents have a combined 23-11 record on the season, and they have already lost to two of those teams: the 49ers and the Seahawks. Arizona could be all-but-eliminated from the playoff picture by the time Murray is ready to play.
At that point, it may not make sense to put him back on the field. And if the Cardinals have stayed in the hunt, it would likely be due, at least in part, to Brissett. Perhaps he wins a few games and gets hurt, giving Murray a chance at a late-season charge, but some around the league believe he is done for the year, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones.
Some even believe he might be done in Arizona. Remember, Ossenfort and Gannon did not draft Murray or sign him to his current contract extension. Given their regime’s poor results thus far, they could be looking to handpick a different quarterback to right the ship and secure their jobs for a few more years. That would mean moving on from Murray this offseason, though that’s not a simple proposition by any means.
Murray has $36.8MM of guaranteed money due in 2026, per OverTheCap, and his 2027 salary becomes guaranteed on March 22, creating a clear decision point for Murray’s future. If he is not in their long-term plans, they will have to release or trade him by then.
Other teams may not want to attach themselves to those obligations, so a trade could require Arizona to eat some of Murray’s 2026 compensation. Those teams may still be cautious about his 2027 guarantees and instead may wait the Cardinals out in the hopes they release Murray. That would allow him to choose his next team, and he would only cost the veteran minimum with the Cardinals still responsible for his guaranteed money in 2026.
As for potential destinations for Murray, keep an eye on Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, per Jones. His unit has disappointed this season, but that is partially due to multiple injuries to star quarterback Jayden Daniels. Kingsbury said last year that he wanted to return to a head coaching job in the future, but he declined interest from multiple teams last offseason, due in part to his desire to stay with Daniels. However, a new job this offseason could offer the opportunity to reunite with Murray, which could be enough to get Kingsbury out of Washington.
The Cardinals signed Brissett on a two-year deal this offseason, which could set him up to be a bridge starter in 2026. A poor finish their year could position them to target a top prospect in the draft; that effort could be further aided by any draft capital received from a potential Murray trade.
This season has not gone to plan for the Cardinals. Now, they’ll have to come up with a new one for their future.
what team wants that mess? coach killer. will be lucky to get a backup job
He will find a job pretty easily. People said bad things about Baker, Darnold, Jones, and Geno they all now have starting jobs.
Baker had the attitude problem and some teammates in Cleveland didn’t like him. It just takes getting into an accepting locker room.
That’s a good list. There is another list of other names, like Josh Rosen, Kenny Pickett, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Dwayne Haskins, Mitch Trubisky, and Paxton Lynch. You hope Murray is on your list for his sake, but he could also wind up on a list with Paxton Lynch and Josh Rosen too!
Pickett, Wilson, Lance, Mitch are still in the league as backups…Your original post stated “Will be lucky to get a backup job”.
Rosen was a rich kid that said he didn’t need football.
Can’t count Haskins as he passed away too soon
Paxton Lynch maybe the only one that fits.
You would have to go back to Jamarcus Russell for a #1 QB to not get multiple chances.
Well, pretty much every GM in the league has Murray on their “short” list 🙂
I remember when Kyler was compared to Drew Brees because of his height and ability….He always seemed much shorter than Brees, much less ability. Hopefully he flourishes somewhere else.
Drew was pretty bad before he got with Payton, they drafted Rivers for a reason. He looked better in the contract year and then with Payton in his 2nd spot.
Baker Mayfield, and Sam Darnold will be why Kyler gets another shot somewhere else.
He should have played baseball.
To be fair: Kyler didn’t play baseball, in part because of baseball’s salary structure. You can’t be a free agent without going through arbitration in MLB, and the record for most money made through arbitration is $79 mil by Juan Soto.
Murray’s first 6 years (the normal “through arbitration” length) earned him $170 mil from the Cardinals.
CTE/injury concerns are real, but those numbers are why Murray stayed an NFL player. If he walks away yesterday, he’s more than doubled what was even possible in MLB (and there’s almost no chance he was that good as a second baseman in that league – more likely, he would have made less than half of what Soto did in that time).
The other problem is this ain’t a great draft for QB and even if you have a bridge QB like Brissett your taking a gamble on a kid. I think spending a 2nd or 3rd on someone with massive upside as the Eagles did with Jalen Hurts would be a smart draft pick. However I wouldn’t take one based solely on need in the first because I don’t rate a lot of them.
The names I’d be following would be Jayden Maiava, Nico Iamaleava, Carson Beck and Sawyer Robertson