Quarterback Kyler Murray‘s time in Arizona is up. Barring a trade, the Cardinals informed Murray they will release him on the first day of the league, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Cardinals have hoped to pull off a Murray trade for at least several weeks, but they have had no luck finding a taker. Not only is Murray on a pricey contract, but he sat out 12 games last season with a mid-foot sprain and did not play past Week 5. It was the second significant injury during Murray’s seven-year career. The former No. 1 pick previously tore his ACL in 2022.
A release is the preferred outcome for Murray, who will have the freedom to choose his second NFL employer once the Cardinals officially cut him. On the other hand, it’s less than ideal for the team. Along with receiving no compensation for Murray, Arizona will take on a mammoth amount of dead money.
If Murray is not designated a post-June 1 release, the Cardinals will absorb a $54.72MM charge and lose over $2MM in cap space in 2026. A post-June 1 release would spread $77.25MM in dead money over two years (including $70.05MM in 2026). The Cardinals would also lose $17.39MM in cap space next season. The only silver lining for Arizona is that will escape paying Murray a $19.5MM salary for 2027 that would have vested on the fifth day of the upcoming league year.
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort was not part of the organization when Murray signed a five-year, $230MM extension in July 2022. Steve Keim was at the helm then, at which point Murray’s stock was at an all-time high. The former Oklahoma Heisman Trophy winner took home Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in his NFL debut before earning back-to-back original-ballot Pro Bowl nods from 2020-21.
The Cardinals won 11 games to break a five-year playoff drought in Murray’s third season, but the Rams leveled them in the wild-card round. While Murray’s extension came several months later, he and the organization have fallen off dramatically since then. The descent began before Murray’s Week 14 ACL tear in 2022. The Cardinals had already lost eight of their first 12 games by then. They went on to finish 4-13. Jonathan Gannon replaced Kliff Kingsbury as the Cardinals’ head coach after the season.
With Murray’s recovery dragging into November 2023, the Cardinals were 1-8 when he returned to make his first start in Week 10. Murray spent the last eight weeks of the year shaking off the rust, and the Cardinals logged their second straight four-win season to begin the Gannon era.
Murray and the Cardinals showed some signs of a rebound in 2024. In Murray’s lone 17-game season to date, the 5-foot-10, 207-pounder completed 68.8% of passes for 3,851 yards (7.1 per attempt), 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 93.5 passer rating and a career-best 63.4 QBR. As a runner, the mobile Murray piled up 572 yards on a lofty 7.3 per carry and scored five more TDs. The Cardinals went 8-9 with a plus-21 point differential.
Any progress the Cardinals may have made two years ago vanished during Murray’s injury-wrecked final season in their uniform. After Murray and backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett combined for a 3-14 mark, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill retained Ossenfort but fired Gannon. Mike LaFleur is now in place as the Cardinals’ head coach. He will either work with Brissett or a different starter in his first year in charge.
Set to play his age-29 season in August, Murray should draw a decent amount of interest in free agency on a prove-it contract. The Vikings are rumored to have interest in Murray, but they’re just one of several teams in the market for a potential starter.
Get ready to learn Miami buddy
One of my favorite meme comments lol
This has future Jet all over it.
What could possibly go wrong? LOL.
The Jets finishing 2026 with a better record than the Giants.
Malik Willis gonna go from one Lafleur brother to the other
Four choices that make most sense are dolphins jets browns or falcons. Steelers will either bring back Rodgers or move forward with Howard
The Browns have future Hall of Famer Shedeur Sanders though?
🙄
I’d add the Vikings to that list, they may be especially appealing since their championship window hasn’t quite closed yet.
Not that Murray would be the missing piece, he’ll probably crash and burn, but if he has his pick of those teams I’d guess that the Falcons and Vikings are most appealing.
Can we add a 5th option? Making back to MLB lol
Maybe * back to MLB
People love to hate on him, but Murray as a cheap free agent who doesn’t even affect the comp pick formula is hands down the best quarterback option available to a needy team after Mendoza.
Underrated comment.
shoulda played baseball
He has made a a LOT of money in the NFL; & still in his 20’s. 10 more years to bank.
Nah, he’s made way more money in football. For baseball, he would have spent probably 1-2 years in the minors making peanuts, followed by 3 years of pre-Arbitration making essentially league minimum, then four years of Arbitration before becoming a free agent.
Is it too late for baseball?
This dude reminds me of Anthony Rendon for the Angels in baseball. He acts like he wants to play but has no real passion for the game. Loves the attention and of course the $$$ but puts very little work into being great. If I was Zona, no matter the cost involved, I’d be thrilled.
Sportsball Mashup ignorant of the fact that the baseball player that was cited has been “medically retired” with endless injuries.
Rendon’s biggest injury is his lack of heart. Stole a paycheck for years and now that they’ve restructured his deal he’ll stay away.
Shoulda played baseball. Guaranteed money and can play for 20 years easy.
He would have earned 1/100th of what he has earned with football as a starting QB. Baseball is extremely difficult.
Not to mention the potential lockout come December.
Murray said his first love was baseball, only thing that stop him is he did not want to start out in the minors he figured his baseball talent was strong enough to go right into the Major Leagues. He did not want to take those eight- and ten-hour bus trips like they do in the minors. So, he decided on a career in the NFL where he could make his money real fast and not work as hard on being a QB. That is why the Cardinals put a study clause in his contract.
He’s already made so much more money than he likely ever would have in baseball. Look at Paul Skenes. Possibly the best pitcher in baseball and he’s made about $1.6 million total in two years and doesn’t become a free agent until 2030. Or Tarik Skubal. This is his 6th season in the league and he’s made about $15 million so far. Kyler Murray has already made $170 million.
“Baseball has been very, very good for me!” Kyler Murray (SNL Sports show “Talking Baseball” Interviews and opinions by Chico Escuela -March 7 2026)
First Round Bust!!! You’d expect more than 7 years as the first overall pick… that’s why he’s a bust