Cardinals predicted to cut ties with Kyler Murray despite 8-figure cost

Billy Heyen

•
Cardinals predicted to cut ties with Kyler Murray despite 8-figure cost image

The Arizona Cardinals haven't reached the heights they would've hoped when they made Kyler Murray a No. 1 overall pick.

There's real chatter that the Murray era in the desert may be over at the end of this season, no matter the cost.

And, well, the cost is immense.

ESPN's Dan Graziano laid it out in a new article on Friday:

Murray's contract isn't easy to escape. He is owed $36.8 million in fully guaranteed salary and bonuses for 2026, and if he's on the roster on the fifth day of the league year in March, his $19.5 million 2027 salary becomes fully guaranteed. Those kinds of figures tend to buy job security, but given Murray's struggles this season even before he was injured and the way Jacoby Brissett has been able to operate the offense in Murray's absence, the writing feels like it's on the wall for Murray in Arizona. It wouldn't shock many in the league if the Cardinals moved on after this season.

The question is how, though. Would a team trade for Murray and that contract, knowing the 2027 guarantees would kick in shortly after the acquisition? Would Arizona have to pay down some of the money, or would Murray have to work with his new team on a contract adjustment? And if the Cardinals can't trade him, would they just release him before the 2027 guarantees kick in? That'd mean paying him $36.8 million in 2026 to go away and absorbing $55 million in dead salary cap charges.

Murray doesn't even turn 29 until next August, so in a league where second-chance quarterbacks have become the rage, it's entirely possible some front office will take a chance on him if the Cardinals decide to release or trade him. He struggled in five games this season, but Murray was ninth in QBR last year at 63.4.

MORE: LeBron James' 10-point streak ends in the most LeBron James way possible

There does become the question of what the Cardinals do if they get rid of Murray.

It doesn't seem like they'd want Brissett as a long-term answer, although he could work in the short term.

The draft likely becomes the target, although the 2026 QB class has dropped off from the expectations surrounding it at the start of the season, and there a number of teams likely to target the position when the draft rolls around.

That shouldn't stop the Cardinals from doing what they think is best. Quarterback is the most important position in sports. If Murray isn't the answer, it's up to Arizona to start figuring out who is.

More news:

Editorial Team