Arizona Cardinals

On multiple occasions in recent months, Aaron Rodgers pointed out that he will be a free agent in 2026. Four days into the process, he still is.

Near the end of the 2025 regular season, he expressed confidence that he’ll have options if he decides to play another year.

“Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent,” Rodgers said at the time. “So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. [Not] a lot of options, but there’ll be options I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play.”

It’s getting harder to identify those options, as quarterback-needy teams address their needs. The Dolphins signed Malik Willis. The Colts re-signed Daniel Jones. The Falcons reportedly will sign Tua Tagovailoa. The Vikings are focused on Kyler Murray. The Raiders, who weren’t interested in Rodgers last year, seem to be poised to make Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick.

The only obvious remaining option, other than Pittsburgh, is Arizona. Nathaniel Hackett, one of Rodgers’s trust-tree coaches, is the offensive coordinator. Mike LaFleur, the Rams’ offensive coordinator a year ago when Rodgers was Plan B if Matthew Stafford was traded, is the head coach. But the Cardinals are caught in the basement of one of the best divisions in football; it would be a steep uphill climb for Rodgers to cap his career with a playoff berth.

That leaves Pittsburgh as the only viable option. And Pittsburgh seems to be waiting for him, even if (as Rodgers said last week) there have been no “progressive conversations” about another run.

As Cam Heyward put it last year, you either want to be a Steeler or you don’t.

Meanwhile, the Steelers’ potential alternatives are landing elsewhere. Of the remaining possibilities, Kirk Cousins would make the most sense for Pittsburgh.

The lack of suitors for Rodgers makes Pittsburgh’s apparent willingness to wait even more confounding for Steelers fans who wonder whether their favorite team is content to watch potentially better options go elsewhere while showing patience for someone who has yet to decide that he’s willing to run it back without Mike Tomlin.

The situation seems to require more urgency from the Steelers. They surely need a veteran, if they decide to let Will Howard show what he can do. Maybe they’ll bring back Justin Fields if/when the Jets cut him. Maybe they’ll sign the best available option (like Joe Flacco) if/when Rodgers tells them he’s not coming back.

Regardless, Steelers fans who were dismayed by the team’s willingness to wait and wait and wait for Rodgers in 2025 are feeling that same angst all over again. This isn’t Rodgers in his prime. This is a 42-year-old veteran who seems to be trying to recapture a little of the glory of MVP seasons gone by.

Wherever it goes from here, it won’t be easy for the Steelers to end a drought of playoff wins that, as of this year, could hit double digits.

The Cardinals re-signed cornerback Starling Thomas V, the team announced Thursday.

Thomas, 26, missed all of last season when he tore his left ACL in a training camp practice. He posted on social media that he is sprinting over 20 mph.

Thomas tore his right ACL when he was in college.

He started 22 games in his first two seasons, the most of any undrafted player in the NFL in that time period, after the Cardinals claimed him off waivers in 2023 from Detroit. He played 75 percent of the defensive snaps.

Thomas has logged 85 tackles with 11 pass breakups.

Yes, quarterback Kyler Murray will visit the Vikings on Thursday — his agent, Erik Burkhardt, has confirmed that to NFL Media.

But here’s the interesting twist, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media: Burkhardt told him that Murray plans to meet by Zoom on Wednesday night and Thursday with executives from three to five teams that potentially have a quarterback need in 2027.

Possibilities (as we see it) include the Jets, the Steelers, the Browns, the Falcons, and the Rams.

It gives Murray an opportunity to get a head start on free agency next year, which underscores the likelihood he’ll sign a one-year, $1.3 million deal for 2026.

That makes a no-tag clause critical. He needs to be able to hit the market next year, if for whatever reason he plays well and doesn’t get a solid offer to stick around with the Vikings, or whoever he signs with.

The Vikings continue to be the clear favorite. There’s really no one else. And, as of last season near the trade deadline, the Vikings were one of the teams in which Murray was interested.

Quarterback Kyler Murray is currently a free agent. That may not last long.

John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM in Phoenix reports that Murray will visit the Vikings on Thursday.

From Gambadoro’s tweet: “A starting spot is a priority, and Minnesota does offer that and a deal could be done in the next 24 hours. But Murray and his camp are expected to explore several options as a backup in 2026 for teams that could need a starting QB in 2027 over the next 24 hours.”

One team that has interest in Murray as a backup for 2026, we hear, is the Rams. And with Matthew Stafford on a year-to-year plan, L.A. could need a starter by 2027.

Still, as immediate starting options go, the Vikings present the best opportunity. Unless the Steelers snap out of their Aaron Rodgers 2.0 fever dream.

Murray’s appeal, beyond his skills, comes from his availability at only $1.3 million for 2026. He should insist on a no-tag clause for 2027, so that he’ll have maximum leverage if he plays in 2026 like he did in the early years of his career.

With Kyler Murray officially gone from Arizona, the Cardinals need a starting quarterback. Some believe it will be Jacoby Brissett. If it is, that will be news to Brissett.

As recently noted by Josh Weinfuss of ESPN, Brissett hasn’t been informed that he enters 2026 as QB1.

Per Weinfuss: “According to a source, the Cardinals have not told Brissett that he will be their starting quarterback in 2026. Brissett is still under contract for this season and is scheduled to earn $4.88 million. Arizona agreed to a one-year deal with Gardner Minshew worth about $5.75 million but could grow to $8.25 million.”

Actually, Brissett has a $4.88 million base salary plus $510,000 in per-game active roster bonuses and a $50,000 workout bonus, pushing his base package to $5.44 million. That’s still less than the Minshew base package.

Brissett also can earn up to $2 million in incentives. Again, that’s less then the Minshew upside.

Neither player has a contract that cries out “starter.” Last year, the bottom of the veteran starter market belonged to Giants quarterback Russell Wilson, at a base package of $10.5 million. He ultimately started three games.

Our guess? Brissett will be gone, eventually. Minshew will be the backup. And the Cardinals will add a starter.

Kirk Cousins continues to make the most sense.

Safety Andrew Wingard is set to become a Cardinal.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Wingard has agreed to terms in Arizona. It’s a one-year deal worth $3 million and incentives that could take it up to $4 million.

Wingard has spent his entire seven-year career with the Jaguars. He was a reserve for most of that time, but started 16 regular season games and the Jags’ playoff loss to the Bills in 2025.

Wingard had 88 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in that action. He had 349 tackles, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries over his entire run in Jacksonville.

Should auld acquaintance be forget and something something the Cardinals have released quarterback Kyler Murray.

At precisely 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday — the official start of the 2026 league year to the minute — the Cardinals announced that they have parted ways with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft.

“With today’s start of the new league year and transactions now official, we want to thank Kyler for everything he has done for this organization over the last seven years,” Cardinals G.M. Monti Ossenfort said in a statement. “We are extremely grateful for his contributions both on the field and off and we wish him nothing but the absolute best moving forward.”

The Cardinals owe Murray $36.8 million for 2026. This allows him to sign a one-year deal for $1.3 million, with the Cardinals paying the $35.5 million balance.

As explained earlier, the Vikings making the most sense. Most of the other teams that were looking for a starter have addressed their needs.

Barring a major upset, the Vikings will add Murray to the depth chart, at a very low cost.

With Malik Willis, Tua Tagovailoa, Geno Smith, and Daniel Jones off the board for 2026, the next available (inevitably) quarterback to watch is Kyler Murray.

The Vikings have been strongly linked to Murray, who has $36.8 million in full guarantees from the Cardinals in 2026. He can take a one-year deal for the minimum based on his years of service ($1.3 million) and stick the Cardinals for the $35.5 million balance.

It becomes a great deal for the cap-strapped Vikings, who could have Murray and J.J. McCarthy under contract for the coming year at a total cap charge of less than $7.3 million.

With the Dolphins, Falcons, Jets, and Colts now out of the mix for a potential Kyler courtship, Murray’s options are limited. The Steelers are waiting for Aaron Rodgers. Who else needs a potential starter for 2026? The only team that could conceivably enter the conversation is the analytics-obsessed Browns, who may not be able to resist the opportunity to acquire the “asset” of a former No. 1 overall pick for the minimum.

Last year, as the trade deadline approached and we poked around the possibility of a Murray deadline deal, we learned two things: (1) there were too many moving parts to make a trade happen; and (2) Murray’s preferred destinations were the Raiders (due to the presence of Chip Kelly) and the Vikings (due to the presence of Kevin O’Connell).

Kelly is long gone from Las Vegas. That leaves one team.

The bettors seized on it, even before the other seats were filled. Minnesota opened as a -110 favorite to be Murray’s next team. The odds moved to -295, before the bet went off the board.

So, yes, Murray to Minnesota makes the most sense. And he’ll likely be the next domino to fall in the annual offseason quarterback carousel.

The Cardinals are bringing back one of their pending free agents.

Running back Zonovan “Bam” Knight has agreed to a one-year deal with Arizona, per agent Mike McCartney.

Knight, 24, joined the Cardinals on a futures deal last year. He made the club’s roster as a kick returner then took over as a starter after the team dealt with multiple injuries at running back. Knight then suffered an ankle injury that prematurely ended his season in December.

Knight finished with 269 yards rushing with four touchdowns and 22 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown in 12 games with eight starts in 2025.

The Cardinals are adding an experienced offensive lineman.

Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Media, Arizona has agreed to a one-year deal with Matt Pryor.

Pryor spent the 2025 season with the Eagles, appearing in all 17 games with one start. He was on the field for 122 offensive snaps (12 percent) and 70 special teams snaps (16 percent).

In 2024, Pryor appeared in 17 games with 15 starts for the Bears.

A sixth-round pick in 2018, Pryor has played 109 games with 40 starts for the Eagles, Colts, 49ers, and Bears.