The possibility of the Cardinals retaining quarterback Kyler Murray for 2026 came up three weeks ago, but his future in the desert remains iffy at best. The team is “likely to move on” from the 28-year-old, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Arizona is hoping to find a trade partner for Murray, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. He’ll “absolutely” be on the trade market, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom hears.
The Cardinals haven’t changed their stance on Murray despite their recent head coaching change, one general manager told La Canfora.
“He’s still gone,” said the GM, who’s seeking a QB but doesn’t have interest in Murray.
Arizona fired the defensive-minded Jonathan Gannon and replaced him with Mike LaFleur, previously the Rams’ offensive coordinator. The Cardinals seem more likely to keep Jacoby Brissett after he started most of 2025 in place of an injured Murray.
“We hear they are going with (Jacoby) Brissett and want to get Kyler out of there,” a top personnel executive informed La Canfora.
It would behoove the Cardinals to get rid of Murray by March 15, the day $19.5 million of his 2027 base salary becomes guaranteed. He’s already guaranteed $36.8MM for next season. The Cardinals would surely have to pay down some of Murray’s contract in a deal, but finding a taker would benefit their salary cap outlook.
Trading Murray before June 1 would save the team $34.74MM and lead to a $17.92MM dead cap hit in 2026. A post-June 1 swap wouldn’t be as helpful, but the Cardinals would still free up $24.94MM while spreading $34.72MM in dead money over two years ($27.72MM in ’26, $7.2MM in ’27).
Releasing Murray would point to a far worse cap situation for Arizona. If done before March 15, the club would absorb a $54.72MM dead money charge and lose over $2MM in cap space in 2026. Cutting him between March 15 and June 1 would create an untenable $77.25MM in dead money and take away $24.59MM in cap room. The post-June 1 option wouldn’t be much better. The Cardinals would spread the $77.25MM over two years (including $70.05MM next season) while losing $17.39MM in space in 2026.
Although cutting Murray would be a worst-case scenario for the Cardinals, it would be a positive development for teams in need of a starting signal-caller. On a minimum salary, Murray would be an “incredibly attractive” option around the league, Rapoport says.
Now coming off his seventh NFL campaign, Murray’s stock has sharply declined since he signed a five-year, $230.5MM extension in July 2022. At that point, the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick wasn’t far removed from earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2019. He went on to pick up Pro Bowl nods in each of the next two seasons.
In 2021, still Murray’s best season, the dual threat helped the Cardinals to 11 wins and a playoff berth. The Cardinals, who took a brutal 34-11 loss to the Rams in the wild-card round, haven’t returned to the playoffs or even finished above .500 in any season since. They’ve axed two head coaches (Gannon and Kliff Kingsbury, who had some success with Murray) during their four-year postseason drought.
Murray’s career began trending downward in 2022, the first season after he landed his mega-deal. He struggled over the first two-plus months before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in Week 14. Murray’s recovery kept him out until the following November, limiting him to eight games.
To his credit, Murray rebounded to a noticeable degree in 2024. During his lone 17-game season to date, he completed 68.8% of passes for 3,851 yards (7.1 per attempt), 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 93.5 passer rating and a personal-high 63.4 QBR. As a runner, he scampered for 572 yards on a robust 7.3 per carry and found the end zone five more times.
In the wake of Murray’s bounce-back season, the arrow was finally pointing up for him and the Cardinals 12 months ago. With improved play from a healthy Murray, the Cardinals went 8-9 and recorded a plus-21 point differential. It was an encouraging step forward for a club that combined for a grisly 8-26 mark and a minus-234 point differential from 2022-23.
Neither Murray nor the Cardinals were able to build on last year’s progress in 2025. They finished an awful 3-14, and Murray missed 12 games with a foot injury. Murray’s time in Arizona may now be on the verge of ending, but even he’s unsure how things will play out, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports.
In the seemingly improbable event Murray stays put (which ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler contends is still on the table), Brissett would emerge as a trade candidate, Fowler relays.
On a manageable $4.88 base salary in 2o26, Brissett could be of interest to several teams looking for either a stopgap starter or a capable backup. The Falcons and Jets are among the clubs that could pursue Brissett, per Fowler.
As Fowler points out, Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski and Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich are familiar with Brissett. He played for Stefanski in Cleveland in 2022 and under Reich (then the Colts’ HC) from 2018-20.
It’s for the best. Imagine Kyler to the Steelers or jets maybe even swap for Tua.
I’d rather the steelers trade for mack Jones. It took 6 years for Darnold to mature and win a super bowl. Jones could be another Darnold
Darnold played for dumps of franchises. Same for Baker. He won 3 NFC South titles simply due to better run than Carolina and NYJ’s.
Willis or Mac could fit well in a McCarthy Steelers offense they need more pieces. If I’m them I’m trying to get K9 in free agency and draft some wideouts.
Jones did well this year in Shanny’s system but never had the best arm. Needs to stay there unless a strong coach is patient with him.
I don’t think the Cards are trading him for Tua. Article says the Cards are going with Brissett at QB.
Dear God, Sentinel. Haven’t we Steelers fans been through enough?
And you haven’t heard? They’re keeping the seat warm for Rodgers to return
Lmao Rodgers is mulling it over all over again
No one wants the Great Gazoo!
Murray should be able to find his way onto every GMs short list 🙂
JETS STAY AWAY!!!!!!! Murray required a clause in his extension to require him to study his playback. has team cancer written all over him.
Also plenty of leaks that the Jets grandkids are acting as GM’s.
Not under the Jets’ current GM or head coach.
As well, no need for Murray when better options are available.
The Jets are so bad, that Moore would prefer NIL money than NFL money.
Moore preferred to focus on his development and get more experience as 1st year college starters have a bad track record in the NFL. Can we get at least a couple days where we be spared from your Skip Bayless esque boomer takes?
All the h8ers would prefer to support an NFL club whose chairman socialized with Jeffrey Epstein.
Believe what you want. The reason the Jets have the longest playoff drought in pro sports is because they can’t draft and develop at any position.
not true
Could also argue that some of those same guys needed to get some experience even if it was bumpy and a few benefitted from coaching changes.
And the Jets will most likely be in a position to draft him again in 2027 with another season of college experience under his belt…such an easy and dumb take that you completely look past the fact that the kid is 20 years old with less than 30 college starts. Recipe for disaster for any team, not just the jets
No kidding! That’s why he went back to school. He doesn’t want to play for a worthless franchise.
Again….he will be in a position to be playing for a worthless franchise next year. What about that don’t you people get?!
Buyer beware. Even his own teammates have nothing nice to say about him. Thats all you need to know.
Just like Bo Callahan !
I’ve always gotten that cocky non team player aura from him. He even admitted one time he was spoiled as an only job parents had money and a nice home. He never lost a game in HS ever. It does something to your psyche
There won’t be any teams trading for him just because of that contract. The best he can hope for is signing somewhere to compete for a starting job at a fraction of his current salary.
His arm is shot, I don’t see him with any trade value with that deal.
What’s insane is many of those high dollar WB contracts have turned out to be a waste of hundreds of millions of dollars. Watson, Tua, Kyler.
The Call of Duty butcher.
The CTE baker.
And the massage candlestick maker.
Tua for Kyler just seems to make sense
Both need a change of scenery and both former top 5 picks
and both are terrible
Yeah, that’s usually how guys get traded with big contracts. And why the phrase “change of scenery” exists
“He’s still gone,” said the GM
Savage
Maybe to a UFL team
Bust. Should have played baseball
Still can
If Murray didn’t come with so much baggage such an onerous contract, he might still have the elite speed to become a running back and/or special teams player.
Alas, nothing about Murray suggests he would ever entertain that notion even if there was a head coach somewhere willing to go out onto that limb.
Just glad they didnt show the pic of him wearing a sports bra … brutal
Don’t give him away if they’re going to have to pay for that “insane when it was proposed” contract anyway.
Bench him
Otherwise sit down and restructure the contract with the incentive of “hey, it’ll make a trade less complicated and give you a chance to start elsewhere”
That probably won’t work since he comes across as “it’s all about the Benjamins” but he also has an ego and that might be the opening ARZ needs to leverage.
meh … I dunno: just spitballing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Tua for Kyler
I wonder if he would have made more money in baseball
Possibly, but it would have taken him much longer to make what he made in the NFL. He should be set for many generations now, all for not being very good or very dedicated.
“…said the GM, who’s seeking a QB but doesn’t have interest in Murray.”
That doesn’t narrow the field down by much.
The Cards and Dolphins’ situations remind me of a comment I read from an “unidentified” NBA GM regarding Ja – “We all have our own problems, why should we pay you to acquire yours?”
On that note,
Tua for Kyler in desperation move by both teams.
IMO they are one and the same. Both are the Great Gazoo just throw with the other hand.
no matter how many times you post this, its not going to make your dreams come true. It doesnt even make sense, just ask yourself WHY? would either team do this.
Cardinals get a Brissett backup for money they would have to pay Murray anyway.
Miami gets a one-year look at an also damaged but not so concussion susceptible Murray while they work in Ewers and/or wait for 2027 to draft their next great hope at the position.
there is no way MIA is going to move off Tua and add a worse QB, who cant stay healthy either, is smaller, weaker, bust, bum, locker room cancer, who likes to play video games more than watching game film.
Murray will be lucky to even get a back up job if ARZ releases him.
shame the watson contract probably rules out cleveland .. it would add the perfect amount of chaos if murray landed there
Unless Murray was traded to CLE for Watson’s nearly identical contract. Possible, but highly unlikely…
Just the Headline would have been enough.
The actual body of the story is just fluff.
What I want to know is does the trade include his toddler seat for the team bus, his high chair for team dinners and his 30% off special card at Baby Gap ? He will also need a new step ladder to see over the offensive line, his sticky gloves for his lady sized hands, and his cleats with lifts. Also included in his contract is all linemen must be 6’6 or taller so if he needs to run he is able to run between their legs and not have to go around them.
The Atlanta FaZe or G2 Minnesota of the CDL – Call of Duty pro league – should definitely make a deal for him. 3 used PS5’s & a pallet of Mountain Dew gamer fuel from Costco should be enough to get it done.
Another in a long line of dual threat qb’s that went from hype to overrated to fringe starter. Wanna win a super bowl get yourself a classic pocket passer. The list of f running qbs that fail is getting longer and longer
Only way they can trade him is taking back someone equally overpaid or attach picks.