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When new Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur was gazing over the roster prior to being hired, he saw a very good receiver group with a disappointing superstar, an All-Star tight end, running backs who were injured, a suspect offensive line, and a quarterback room that was in flux.
And he took the job anyway.
RELATED: CARDINALS TO EXPLORE TRADING MURRAY
Only LaFleur and GM Monti Ossenfort know what the conclusion of the Kyler Murray drama will become. Keep him? Trade the former first overall pick? Cut him loose?
At the Combine press conference, Ossenfort mentioned that the franchise had all three of its quarterbacks currently under contract: Murray, Jacoby Brissett, and Kedon Slovis. That just may become the QB room in training camp.
However, on the fifth day of the league’s new year, if Murray is still on the roster, he will be paid an extra $19.5 million for 2027. So, if the team wants to move him, they will need to find a suitable trade partner before then.
What could the Cardinals get for Murray? ESPN’s Booger McFarland is saying the franchise should not be expecting a whole lot.
“Realistically, I don’t think anybody’s going to trade for Kyler Murray. He’s gotten to a point right now where when you look at him as a 5’-10”-maybe quarterback who struggled throwing from the pocket. Yeah, he’s athletic, but he’s been hurt. I just think the market for him to go to another team is going to be small.”
The ESPN Insiders are giving Murray a 5% chance of Murray getting traded to any NFL club. Rumors regarding moving him began right before the NFL trade deadline last year, but that came and went.
Dan Graziano of ESPN stated:
“The Cardinals would love to trade the contract, but with that huge guarantee this year and another $19.5 million of 2027 money that fully guarantees on the fifth day of the league year, it’s going to be tough to find a taker.”
The whole roadblock is that mammoth contract Murray was given that every Arizona fan shouted was a huge mistake at the time of the signing.
If the Cardinals are willing to pay down a big percentage of the money owed to Murray, that would certainly help finding a potential trade partner. A few years ago, the Cleveland Browns wanted to move another first overall pick, Baker Mayfield. They shipped him off to the Carolina Panthers, but only after they paid $10.5 million owed to the player, which left Carolina just $4.85 million in compensation.
McFarland further explained:
“It’s clear the Arizona Cardinals don’t want Murray anymore. So, asking Monti Ossenfort to go into his David Copperfield hat and pull something out, I think I know he’s good. I don’t think he can do magic. So, to ask him to go and pull out a third, a fourth, or a fifth-round pick, I don’t know if you can give Murray away right now.”
And if Ossenfort cannot find a suitable trade location, and the extra 2027 bonus fast approaches, it is quite possible that the franchise will cut its losses and simply release him. Then, Murray would be on his own to negotiate with other NFL clubs for a job going forward.
McFarland had an opinion on that front as well:
“I just think Murray’s in a situation based on everything that’s happened in Arizona, based on the injury, based on the homework clause, all the things that you put together, I think it’s going to be tough for him to find a spot to play as a starting quarterback in 2026.”
The news also seems to come from Murray himself, who would want a clean break and allow him to find a new home himself without having to be forced to go play for someone else. Of course, right now, he is under contract with the Cardinals, and if they want to trade him, they will. Especially if the sentiments of the ESPN crew have any validity to them, the franchise will have very little interest from any other clubs at all.
Think about it: right now, for zero draft picks, any NFL team can go out and sign Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Malik Willis, Daniel Jones, Kirk Cousins, Carson Wentz, Mitch Trubisky, Jimmy Garoppolo, or Gardner Minshew.
This story appears to be getting some footing regarding Murray wanting his outright release. And now, it appears some of it is coming from the Murray camp itself.
If Arizona can move on from Murray before the new league year, their 2026 dead cap hit would be $54.71 million with a savings of $2.05 million. After the new year, the 2026 dead cap hit becomes $77.25 million, which is a loss of $24.59 million.
As Ossenfort stated at the Combine regarding the quarterback room:
“All options are on the table for us. We’ve got Kyler, Jacoby (Brissett), and Kedon (Slovis) all under contract. As it pertains to that position, as it pertains to every position on our team, we will look at every avenue to improve. We will continue our process with that.”
Yeah, okay.
Good luck with that. The timeline is ticking.