Speculation regarding quarterback Kyler Murray’s future with the Cardinals began to ramp up in early November, as the effects of the foot injury he suffered in Week 5 lingered longer than expected and afforded backup Jacoby Brissett the opportunity to show he could run the offense more productively. In the wake of head coach Jonathan Gannon’s recent announcement that Murray will not return to the field this season, the rumblings have grown even louder.
As longtime Cardinals beat reporter Josh Weinfuss notes, multiple sources told ESPN colleague Adam Schefter back in November that Arizona will likely part ways with Murray this offseason. One source even went so far as to say such a parting is imminent, and Gannon’s non-answer when asked if Murray would be the club’s QB1 in 2026 supports that notion.
Given the salary cap ramifications of a release versus a trade – even a post June-1 release would result in a dead money charge of $50.6MM in 2026, whereas a trade would create a maximum dead money hit of $17.9MM – a swap appears to be the more likely route. That is especially true since Murray still seems to have at least some trade value.
Several executives told Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports that Murray is far superior to any veteran passer expected to be on the free agent or trade markets this offseason. One AFC general manager was especially bullish, saying, “[w]hen you start comparing him to some of the other guys that might be available, [Murray’s] good is still on a totally different level.”
That GM believes the Cardinals could fetch a third-round pick for Murray, while other execs believed a fourth-round pick was the maximum return Arizona could expect, depending on how much of Murray’s salary the team is willing to eat. Broadly speaking, Robinson suggests the Cardinals will have to absorb some money in order to create a market. A decision will need to be made one way or another by the fifth day of the 2026 league year in March, at which point $19.5MM of Murray’s 2027 pay will become guaranteed.
Interestingly, Weinfuss indicates Brissett, who is under contract through 2027, has played well enough to merit a mid-round pick in a trade. Of course, the Cardinals are going to need a quarterback themselves, and their current draft position – if the season ended today, Arizona would have the No. 8 overall selection – puts them behind a number of other teams that could be looking for a QB (like the Raiders, Browns, Saints, and Jets). Considering the 2026 class of collegiate prospects has seen its stock fall this year, it would come as no surprise if the Cardinals elected to keep at least one of Brissett and Murray.
The Jets and Vikings have already been named as potential Murray suitors if the Cardinals put him on the market.
Cardinals will be lucky to get a 3rd and 7th for him
Jets could go for it instead of drafting a low stock guy. They’d have to eat money for sure.
Fields could hypothetically be part of the trade return to the Cards too.
If they’d want him lmao
Murray’s arm is shot, eating salary isn’t going to solve this problem
They will have to throw in Kyler’s booster seat too
Hey now, he only uses that at team meals and so he can reach the pedals when he drives to practice. The guys were making fun of him when his wife dropped him off and gave him his lunch money, so he wanted to drive himself.
Do they make lifts for football cleats? Maybe some stilts? Or maybe they could have him sit on Jacoby’s shoulders when he’s on the field. Would that count as one player or two? They could hide it by wearing a longer jersey. Do they make toddler extra long clothing?
Vegas is the perfect landing spot for murray to keep failing .. he can keep tabs on the A’s stadium build .. maybe a late baseball career renaissance will be in the cards
Kyler’s still a really talented player whose dynamic running makes him a weapon.
That’s actually kind of the problem. It’s really hard to have a functioning offense when your QB is the run game and you don’t have a dominant OL.
Put him in the right system and see what he is once and for all.
Have liked Jacoby since his time with Patriots. He has attempted enough passes this season to make up for the times where he wasn’t even active for a game.
A healthy Murray could be better than any QB coming out of college this off season.