11:25pm: Following news that the Vikings are the favorite for Murray, the team will indeed be hosting the QB on a visit tomorrow, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
3:08pm: The 2026 league year has started — precisely one minute ago. The Cardinals did not waste any time; the team announced its Kyler Murray release.
This concludes a seven-year chapter, one that ended as most expected it to. The Cardinals now have Gardner Minshew on the roster, accompanying Jacoby Brissett. This will be a post-June 1 cut, which will help Arizona cap-wise. Teams cannot announce post-June 1 cuts until this afternoon, explaining the delay on the long-expected Murray release.
With $36.8MM guaranteed to a quarterback coming off a five-game season and trending downward, the Cardinals were never viewed as having a realistic chance to reach their goal of trading Murray. Connected frequently to the Vikings, Murray may well be headed north as a free agent soon.
Minnesota is viewed as the favorite to land the former No. 1 overall pick, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. This is not especially surprising, as Murray has been connected to Minnesota for months. A recent report suggested the 28-year-old passer is eyeing in the Vikings, who have been tied to interest here — as Murray will likely be available for the veteran minimum thanks to the nature of his Arizona exit.
The Cardinals, Jets (Geno Smith) and Dolphins (Malik Willis) have made starter-level quarterback additions, the Vikings have refrained. Murray looks likely to be Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy competition, though the two-time Pro Bowler is a more talented player and would be favored to start in 2026. The Vikes are walking a tightrope here, as our Adam La Rose discussed in his most recent mailbag. They are still tethered to McCarthy’s development while understandably wanting a potentially better option after concerning 2025 play from the top-10 pick. Murray will be looking to bounce back after a lost 2025.
Minnesota used the No. 10 overall pick on McCarthy but lost him to a season-nullifying injury last year. A high ankle sprain shelved McCarthy for a chunk of the season last year, and given the Michigan alum’s early-season struggles, rumblings the Vikings were giving him time to reset emerged. When McCarthy replaced Carson Wentz around midseason, he was wildly inconsistent. The team saw 2024 starter Sam Darnold pilot the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has since been fired. Quarterback issues undoubtedly played a key role in the four-year GM’s ouster.
Murray played under Drew Petzing, an ex-Kevin Stefanski assistant. Stefanski’s past under Gary Kubiak ties Kevin O’Connell — a Sean McVay disciple — to the same sturdy Mike Shanahan coaching tree. This would stand to make a Murray-Minnesota transition easier, but the diminutive QB’s best work came under Kliff Kingsbury earlier in his career.
O’Connell rehabilitated Darnold’s career in 2024, overseeing a Pro Bowl nod after coaxing quality play from Kirk Cousins before his October 2023 Achilles tear. Murray, who booked original-ballot Pro Bowl invites in 2020 and ’21, has displayed quality work as a passer and runner but has been inconsistent. He was not playing especially well before a December 2022 ACL tear, which came after he signed a five-year, $230.5MM Cardinals extension. The Cards held off on redeploying Murray until midway through the 2023 season, and while Murray ranked ninth in QBR in 2024 — a 17-game season — more injury trouble intervened as the QB was struggling yet again.
Averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt through five games under Petzing in 2025, Murray went down with a foot injury and never returned. The Cardinals looked ready to move Murray back into the starting lineup later in the season, but an about-face led to a shutdown.
The Cardinals’ previous regime had authorized the five-year extension, and the deal brought an advanced guarantee for 2026. Murray remaining on Arizona’s roster by mid-March of 2025 guaranteed his ’26 salary, leading to this post-June 1 designation.
The Cardinals will take a $47.1MM dead money hit in 2026 as a result of the Murray release, though OverTheCap lists the signal-caller’s 2027 dead cap number at $7.2MM. Should that split hold true, Arizona’s new coaching staff will feel some pain this season before seeing considerable relief in Year 2. The Cardinals do not have an inspiring QB setup presently, with Minshew and Brissett bridge types (at best). But they are getting out of the big-ticket QB-contract business after nearly four years.
Atlanta already took advantage of a post-June 1 designation by scooping up Tua Tagovailoa on what is expected to be a veteran-minimum deal. Murray is expected to be available, as Wilson was in 2024 with Pittsburgh, for the vet minimum. That could bring value for the Vikings, though the former Heisman winner is expected to be patient before committing, as this bounce-back opportunity will help determine if his career has a positive second act.
Good move for Kyler. Idk how good a move it is for Sota tho.
At league minimum it is worth a shot for MN. if he proves to garbage they can dump him and move on with very little financial burden.
He’s so good that the worst organization in football with legit receiving weapons (best TE in football, emergent Mike Wilson and MHJ) is flat out releasing him.
Even for minimal money, why waste the roster spot.
I must be guilty of only seeing his highlights on RedZone over the years. As a Steelers fan I have been of the belief that he’d be an upgrade over Rodgers at this point of his career. Or Cousins. But Cardinals fans keep saying that I should be careful what I wish for
To count on him to take a team to the superbowl is a stretch. To make him a backup/potential starter is worth a shot.
WUOT- Is there something wrong with Howard? I’m being serious in asking. Not sure why he hasn’t been given a season to prove himself. He looked pretty good in College.
Agreed. I’d love McCarthy to take a good look at him this spring and summer. He was all but forgotten after injury ruined his ability to get into exhibition games last year
But I again wonder about Rooney in all of this. Every time the man speaks he makes mention of this team being close to being a real contender for the SB. While they’ve made some nice changes in the past few days, it’s hard to comprehend with so many question marks in place, namely a number of aging guys on the defensive end who looked like they were in slow motion much of the time last year.
The question mark is the same as it has been since Ben’s elbow injury. And the latest idea has been to bring in aging vets whose better days are long past
I’d like to see them go with Howard or draft the kid from Alabama. Solve the problem for years to come. But they remain fixated on a veteran back there. If that’s the case, I’d just rather see them go with a younger, more mobile vet. Like Murray.
But they seem committed to kicking the can down the road for another year. Maybe they’ll surprise us
@MB He is not a franchise savior but he is better than Brosmer if he is slotted as a back up.
The Cardinals need a change, but the idea of him being a wasted roster spot at the minimum in this quarterback market is silly. He’s been a pretty good quarterback in his career who gets blasted to oblivion for being drafted and paid to be better. He’s a been a top half of the league starter at his best, and had a notably better career than the guy from the same draft who just got two years $88 million with a torn Achilles.
Glad I’m not alone in this thinking. Again, he just seems like he’d be a real upgrade over tired, slow, aging varieties
I guess I’m looking at it from a QB roll perspective. Is he really the guy you want a young QB to be listening to or emulating?
That’s not actually a quarterback’s primary job. We’re not talking about a Case Keenum signing here. He can probably go into Minnesota and simply be better than McCarthy. Right now that’s the best thing he can do for them. Heck, Daniel Jones credits his brief time with KOC for better educating him in preparation. Maybe Kyler could use some of that.
I can’t fathom Murray playing in a KOC offense. If Minnesota wants to use him, they need to completely change how they’ve run their offense under O’Connell.
Thing is about those “tired, slow” quarterbacks…they can read defenses and make quick decisions. Murray has not ever done the former, and has occasionally done the latter. O’Connell has always had multiple options on his plays, and Cousins took advantage of that. I imagine that he had some gameplan worked up for Jones that would be similar to what he will try for Murray. I still don’t see the fit at all, but O’Connell is obviously a much more sound football mind than I, and Flores’ defense is good enough to give any QB a shot.
It’s not like Darnold is all that similar to Cousins.
No, but he showed in Seattle that he can go through progressions better than Murray. Kyler has yet to show anything there.
Darnold didn’t show that at either of his first two stops. He got a year of Shanahan school and then showed it with KOC.
ooof has been carrying around Murray’s jock strap for some odd reason, I dont know if he is related to him or what, He probably made a prediction before Murray got drafted that he was going to be great or something and hasn’t given up hope yet.
Well, he’s played more good football in his NFL career than a guy who just got 2 years $88 million with a torn Achilles, and he’s going to play this year for the league minimum. I don’t know what jock straps have to do with that set of facts.
the NFL has “voted” with its wallet—the Colts prioritized re-signing Jones, while the Cardinals let Murray walk for nothing.
NFL teams and voters: Two groups that are famously always right.
Remember that all of one year ago Daniel Jones was taking a cheap one year deal to compete for a starting role, and the only reason it was more than the minimum is because his previous team hadn’t even waited until the end of the year to cut him loose for nothing.
I agree. I’m glad someone else’s sees it how I do.
when he wins the Minnesota job .. he’ll post better numbers than indiana jones
As a Packers fan, I really hope Kyler goes to Minnesota. He makes no sense for a KOC offense so I love the fit.
How so? He has multiple links to the Vikings coaching staff.
Please don’t feed the trolls.
KOC’s offense is based on quick processing, accuracy, and playing on schedule. These are not Kyler’s strengths. Also, the offense is not easy to pick up. The best part of Kyler’s game, especially given his height, is off-script playmaking and he doesn’t have much interest in doing homework. I look forward to this union so KOC can be driven crazy with Kyler’s undisciplined play. This reminds me of when Kyle Shanahan bought into the Trey Lance athletic hype, when all he really needed was someone to process quickly, be accurate, and play on time. In other words, Brock Purdy. Or Mac Jones.
There’s a reason the Cardinals are paying this guy to go away when they have a Sean McVay disciple coming in as HC.
ish ….worst fit ever. what are they thinking? this 5 ft. 4. qb can’t see 30 yards down field, let alone throw it that far. should have fire OConnell with Qwesi….no future with this. McCarthy should still be priority one. someone needs to win now, and Kyler will get another coach fired. I guess I’m grateful – 27 draft is full of qbs
“Following news that the Vikings are the favorite for Murray, the team will indeed be hosting the QB on a visit tomorrow,”
That’s why the team ordered a step ladder today.
Kyler throwing to Jefferson might actually be something to see. Kyler can throw long pretty easily and if he rolls out he won’t have to jump to see over the lineman. 😂 I wouldn’t count him out though. Another small guy did pretty well in Minnesota, one Fran Tarkenton. Maybe he just needs a a change of scenery.
Any QB’s in the UFL or CFL worth giving a shot??
Fair or not, the only image I have of Murray is that no-look-behind-the-back-in-the-endzone-pick-6
Guess the Vikings are finally admitting that the kid from Michigan is nothing but a back up kind of QB…..if he can’t perform in McConnels system he won’t fit in many other rosters……
Rams and Kyler gaining steam in a lot of articles
Not anymore