We may have seen the last of Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals.
On Friday, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed that Murray, who is on injured reserve with a foot injury that has kept him off the field since Week 5, won't return this season.
"It wasn't progressing in a way that we wanted, so we went and got a different opinion, some different people and kind of looked at it, and it's just not right," Gannon said.
"I just feel bad for the quarterback," he added. "He got hurt, and he wasn't healthy enough to play. So I mean, that's first and foremost. That's where I would leave it right now."
When asked about Murray's future with the Cardinals, Gannon would not comment on that.
"I'm worried about the Rams right now," Gannon said.
Even before he was placed on injured reserve, it was clear that the Cardinals were going to stick with Jacoby Brissett, who was an obvious upgrade for the offense.
That was the first sign of trouble for Murray's future with the team.
Is Kyler Murray done with the Cardinals?
It sure seems like he is.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported last month that the feeling around the league is that the Cardinals and Murray will indeed part ways in 2026.
"Arizona and Murray are expected to have extensive discussions to help determine whether to move forward together or go their own ways. Many sources believe the latter is the likely outcome, with one source saying this week that 'a separation is imminent,'" Schefter reported.
While Murray has shown flashes of being on the cusp of entering that elite category among NFL quarterbacks during his career, he has never been able to get over the hump entirely.
Another glaring issue is that, since he entered the NFL in 2019, the Cardinals have only been to the postseason once, and that was their one-and-done trip in 2019.
Overall, Murray's record as a starter is a lackluster 38-48-1. At some point, enough is enough and clearly the Cardinals are at least close to that point.
How will the Cardinals unload Kyler Murray?
If the Cardinals are indeed done with Murray, the next step is figuring out how to unload him. It goes without saying that the Cardinals should explore a trade first before releasing him.
While Murray isn't an elite quarterback, he is above average, at worst, and there are sure to be teams interested in acquiring him at the right price.
Murray's $230.5 million contract runs through 2028, but it does not contain any guaranteed money beyond next season. So, a team could bring Murray in as a bridge quarterback without needing a long-term commitment.
As far as compensation is concerned, there's a scenario where the Cardinals could land at least one Day 2 pick, and likely a second-rounder. Arizona could increase that compensation if it is willing to pick up some of the guaranteed money.
Trading Murray, which seems like the most likely scenario by far, would incur a dead-cap charge of $17.9 million but would also save the Cardinals a whopping $35.3 million.
Tossing Murray into the trade or free agent market is going to make the 2026 offseason even more interesting.
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