Arizona

Cardinals

Fowler’s bit on Willis is a bit of cold water on the drumbeat we’ve had on Willis for the past few weeks, noting that “Willis hitting the $30 million threshold as a player with six career starts would surprise some of the teams at the combine.” He named the Dolphins and Cardinals as teams that are likely in on Willis in addition to saying he doesn’t think Cleveland is the ultimate landing spot. If those are the two main teams, it would be hard for the Dolphins to win a bidding war with their implied cap space.

Fowler’s colleague Dan Graziano writes that “odds favor a release” for Murray because it’s unlikely a team will offer Arizona anything significant in a trade. If released, Murray would be subject to playing on a minimum contract ala Russell Wilson after the Broncos released him. Given the Vikings salary cap situation, it makes all the sense in the world for them to wind up with a reasonable quarterback solution that they don’t have to pony up big dollars for. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio also floated the idea of Atlanta as a destination for Murray yesterday. If Murray does make it to free agency and winds up playing on the minimum while his Cardinals contract is still being paid out, it would make sense for him to prioritize a good offensive environment.

Murray and the Cardinals are long overdue for a messy split; ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss previously reported the 28-year-old quarterback and Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort have not talked since the season ended. His camp reportedly prefers that he is cut so he can enter free agency in the new league year. McKenna and Vacchiano also report the Cardinals grew frustrated with Murray due to concerns over his work ethic, leadership, and struggles returning to form after a 2022 ACL tear. It is a fractured relationship that will almost certainly see Murray depart Arizona soon. Whether that is by trade or release is to be determined; Murray’s camp clearly believes his value will be maximized on the open free agent market. Teams looking for a short-term starter will be knocking on Murray’s door if he is indeed released.

Well, not much to talk about, is there? The Cardinals projected some “all options are on the table” stuff at Ossenfort’s presser ahead of questions, trying to pre-empt them. It seems more likely than not that the Cardinals will release Murray before his contract guarantees kick in. All that’s left is trying to bait a team in to trading for him before that happens. The fact that the two sides haven’t even talked says a lot about the odds of Arizona actually retaining Murray, making it appear that there is one less option on the theoretical table.

It’s an indirect answer, but it’s hard to read the gushing as a non-yes. Ossenfort also pumped up Paris Johnson Jr., who will likely have his fifth-year option picked up ahead of next season. Wilson is entering the final year of his rookie deal as a third-round pick and would be a priority to extend sooner rather than later. How big a price tag the Cardinals put on Wilson, should they get down this road, will tell us a lot about how they feel about him as a main cog in this offense next to Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr.

It’s not a typical source for us, but what Pauline is reporting aligns with the already widely-held belief that newly minted head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan, who were previously with the Packers, would pursue Willis in free agency. Pauline also notes that many believe Willis will ultimately sign with the Cardinals, who are expected to move on from Kyler Murray. Willis had a solid two-year stint with the Packers and flashed in limited action. So much so, that he’s expected to sign a multi-year deal this offseason and be the unquestioned QB1 for a team in 2026. Willis threw for 972-60-0 on 89 pass attempts in two seasons with the Packers while adding another 42-261-3 on the ground. Wherever he signs, his next team will hope the tremendous improvement he showed in a small sample size will translate into long-term success for him and their organization.

Cimini connects these dots through new head coach Mike LaFleur, who coached Hall with the Jets. Arizona’s backfield is in a major state of flux after all of last season’s backs (James Conner, Trey Benson, Zonovan Knight) suffered season-ending injuries. It’s a vacuum where Hall would make sense. Cimini believes the Jets would like to extend Hall before he hits the open market, but may wind up using the franchise or transition tags instead — or on the way to — a deal.

Jones “didn’t just look like a starter in 2025 but someone who could lead an imperfect team.” Per Barrows, Quarterback-needy teams could be hoping that Jones becomes the next “Shanahan reclamation project” after watching Sam Darnold lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record in 2024 and the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory in 2025. Darnold spent the 2023 season as a 49ers backup. The incoming rookie quarterback class is currently viewed as a thin group, which could spur teams to pursue Jones via a trade rather than rolling the dice on a questionable prospect. Barrows notes that the Dolphins, Cardinals and Vikings “are running Shanahan’s offense or something similar,” and views all three as potentially interested parties.

This marks Kwiatkowski’s first forray into the NFL ranks after nearly three decades of coaching college football. Kwiatkowski joined Steve Sarkisian in Texas five years ago as the team’s defensive coordinator. After a rough first year, Kwiatkowski’s defenses never finished worse than 28th in the country in points allowed over the following four seasons. The Longhorns fielded the third-best scoring defense in 2024. Kwiatkowski was fired after his unit took a slight step back in 2025.

This is not a usual source for NFL news, but the long-time Phoenix-based reporter has a strong track record in other sports. Bagent threw six interceptions and three touchdowns in a four-start trial in 2023, but is entering his age-26 season and has two years left on his contract after signing a two-year extension last offseason. In a quarterback landscape this barren for teams looking for solutions, it’s not a surprise that younger backups could be of interest around the league.