Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals’ decision to release quarterback Kyler Murray next week was inevitable, based on recent events.

A divorce was inevitable based on events from four years ago.

When the Cardinals signed Murray to a five-year, $230 million extension in 2022, the contract initially included an “independent study” clause. When the term came to light, the reaction was swift, loud, and negative. The perception that Murray needed an “independent study” clause made him look bad. The team’s decision to request it made them look foolish.

The mere fact that the Cardinals entertained the thought that Murray needed an external incentive in the form of an addendum to his contract should have been regarded as a red flag on the entire question of whether to extend his contract. If, as they believed, Murray had a flaw in his work ethic that required a term that threatened default if he didn’t comply, they shouldn’t have signed him to a second contract.

They should have traded him.

If he’d been available in 2022, the Cardinals could have gotten a respectable return. He had made the Pro Bowl twice in three seasons, and he had taken the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2021. He was regarded as a rising star, a potential short-list franchise quarterback.

And while it would have been a risky move based on those objective facts, the Cardinals knew something the rest of the league didn’t. They knew (or at least they believed) there was an issue regarding his preparation habits. They could have moved him before anyone else became aware of their position.

Obviously, they didn’t. They renewed vows, with a clunky caveat that may have permanently poisoned the relationship.

In the past four years, he has missed 20 games due to injury. His record is 16-26, after starting his career 22-23-1.

The market, at the time Murray signed his deal, was $46 million per year. He emerged with an average of $46.1 million per year. He has made more than $113 million since 2022. He exits with another $36.8 million owed to him in 2026.

It could have gone a different way. It should have gone a different way. If the Cardinals had sufficient misgivings about Murray to insert an unprecedented (for a reason) contract clause that required him to do something that, for most franchise quarterbacks, is a given, the Cardinals shouldn’t have re-signed him.

They should have traded him.

Kyler Murray was the ninth overall pick in the Major League Baseball draft in 2018, signed a contract with the Athletics that year, and planned to pursue a professional baseball career after one final season of college football. Then Murray won the Heisman Trophy in his final season, was the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, and decided to pursue football instead.

Now Murray has been told the Cardinals plan to cut him, and the Athletics have let him know he’d be welcome to play baseball again.

“Kyler is an elite NFL quarterback and I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for him to continue his football career,” Athletics General Manager David Forst told MLB.com. “That said, he and his baseball representatives know that we’re always open to him exploring a return to baseball with the A’s if that time ever comes.”

It’s unlikely that Murray will change sports at age 28, but he’s talented enough that if he wanted to do it, there’s a real chance he could make the major leagues. And he’s already got a team that would love to see him give it a try.

The Cardinals and Panthers will be kicking off the NFL’s 2026 preseason schedule.

The NFL announced on Wednesday that the two teams will be playing in this August’s Hall of Fame Game. The game will be held on August 6 in Canton, Ohio with this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies set for August 8.

It is the first time the Panthers will play in the game since 1995. The Cardinals have made five appearances with the last one coming in 2017.

Both teams will be represented at those ceremonies as well. Former Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald and former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly are both entering the Hall this year.

The rest of this year’s class includes former Saints quarterback Drew Brees, former Patriots and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, and former 49ers running back Roger Craig.

The Cardinals will release quarterback Kyler Murray next week. Where will he land?

DraftKings has the Vikings as the early favorites to sign the first overall pick in the 2019 draft, at -110.

The Jets are next at +175, with the Dolphins at +320 and the Browns at +450.

The Falcons, at +500, are one of the most intriguing options, given their talent elsewhere on offense. As mentioned over the weekend, however, new president of football operations Matt Ryan (a 6'5" former quarterback) will have to be content to ride with an undersized signal caller.

There’s a long shot to watch, at +7500: The Rams. They’ll likely need a replacement for Jimmy Garoppolo at No. 2 behind Matthew Stafford, and there’s an unverified (for now) rumor making the rounds that Stafford has already contacted Murray to make the case for coming to L.A.

Murray’s former head coach in Arizona, Kliff Kingsbury, is now a member of the Rams’ coaching staff. And Murray’s former Oklahoma teammate, Baker Mayfield, had a late 2022 cup of coffee with the Rams that may have helped launch his resurgence in Tampa.

The real question is whether Murray wants to play in 2026, or whether he’s content to take a step back for a year and lay the foundation for wherever he’ll be in 2027.

Either way, the clock is ticking (as it is for all of us). Murray turns 29 later this year. The high-end speed and acceleration will fade. At some point, he’ll need to transition to pocket passer if he hopes to keep playing deep into his 30s.

Rams backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is due to become a free agent next week. The Cardinals and Packers reportedly are interested. Are the Rams?

“Absolutely,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Tuesday. “I love Jimmy. I would absolutely want him back. I did see those reports too on [Cardinals coach] Mike [LaFleur] trying to steal our guy, but no, Jimmy’s a really good player and so we would love him back.

“I’m sure he’ll have multiple opportunities and then we’ll see where we’re at. He’s been tremendous for the last couple of years. We’ve loved everything he’s about. You guys know how I feel about him when we’ve spoken about him and we would love him back. I’m also not naive to the fact that he’ll probably have a lot of opportunities and if those are things that he wants to pursue that give him a chance to play, I would understand that.”

If they really wanted him, they would have extended his deal before he got close enough to sniff free agency. Garoppolo will now hit the open market — and possibly will hit the road.

Should Garoppolo leave, the Rams will need a new No. 2 quarterback. Stetson Bennett, a fourth-round pick in 2023, enters the final year of his contract. He was entrusted with the backup job for two games in 2024, when Garoppolo was serving a suspension under the NFL’s PED policy.

Regular visitors to PFT shrugged at the news that the Cardinals will release quarterback Kyler Murray, the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. It was a move that was coming for months.

They’ll also shrug when Murray makes his likely next move — a one-year deal for $1.3 million.

With the Cardinals owing Murray $36.8 million, fully guaranteed, for 2026, Murray can do what Russell Wilson did in 2024. Take a one-year minimum deal, and stick the Cardinals for the balance.

There’s no reason not to do it. Murray would still have massive financial security for 2026, with maximum flexibility for 2027. With the Cardinals entitled to a dollar-for-dollar offset, the fewer dollars Murray takes, the more cap dollars his new team will have.

And if (unlike Wilson) multiple teams clamor for his services, Murray should ask for one other thing: A no-trade, no-tag clause.

The no-trade clause is important, because if Murray is anything but the unquestioned starter for his next team, he becomes a potential target for another team that is willing to give real value for the balance of a bargain-basement contract. (In hindsight, the Steelers should have traded Wilson at or before the deadline, and they should have stuck with Justin Fields for the rest of 2024.)

The no-tag clause would ensure a straight shot to free agency in 2027, with no Daniel Jones-style impediments.

The Cardinals have informed quarterback Kyler Murray of his release, according to multiple reports. The transaction will occur on the first day of the league year March 11.

The Cardinals have attempted to trade Murray.

They owe him $36.8 million guaranteed in 2026, and another $19.5 million in guarantees would have been triggered for 2027 if he were on the roster on March 15.

So, as expected, Murray will be in search of a new home. Since Murray has offset language in his contract, his new team will pay him the minimum.

Murray released a statement on social media, writing, “To everyone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and I during my time in AZ, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. I wanted nothing more than to be the one to end the 77-year drought for this organization. I am sorry I failed us. I wish this community and my brothers nothing but the best. I am no stranger to adversity. I am prepared for whatever’s next. I trust in God and my work ethic. I truly believe my best ball is in front of me, and I look forward to proving it. Godspeed.”

Murray, the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, has missed 21 of a possible 51 games over the past three seasons.

In his seven-year career in Arizona, Murray went 38-48-1 in the regular season and the Cardinals made the playoffs once. They never won a playoff game. He made two Pro Bowls (2020, 2021) and completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 20,460 yards with 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions.

Jimmy Garoppolo could be making a comeback.

Not that he ever left. But he hasn’t been a starting quarterback since the Raiders benched him for Aidan O’Connell midway through the 2023 season.

Now, Garoppolo could be in play to fill the void created by the looming departure of Kyler Murray from the Cardinals.

Via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the Cardinals are interested in Garoppolo. And for good reason. New head coach Mike LaFleur comes from the Rams, where Garoppolo has spent the last two seasons as the understudy to Matthew Stafford.

“That’s his guy,” an unnamed source told Fowler regarding Mike LaFleur’s opinion of Garoppolo.

The Cardinals also have Jacoby Brissett under contract for 2026. He’s due to make $5.44 million in 2026, with another $1 million if he takes 50 percent of the snaps and $1 million more if the percentage lands at 65 or higher. On the fifth day of the 2026 league year, $1.5 million of Brissett’s base salary becomes fully guaranteed.

Per Fowler, the Rams would welcome Garoppolo back as the No. 2 to Stafford. Garoppolo also is in play to replace Malik Willis as the No. 2 to Jordan Love in Green Bay.

Garoppolo has 64 career starts. The bulk of those came during five-plus years with the 49ers. In 2019, he led San Francisco to the Super Bowl.

For a brief time in 2018, Garoppolo was the highest-paid player in the league, at $27.5 million per year. He made $3 million last season with the Rams.

If the Cardinals keep Brissett and sign Garoppolo, it’ll be a reunion — 10 years later — of the quarterbacks who split four starts during Tom Brady’s #Deflategate suspension.

In little more than a week, the negotiating period will begin for impending free agents. And quarterback Malik Willis will undoubtedly be agreeing to terms quickly.

With the Packers having no real shot at keeping Willis as the No. 2 to Jordan Love, the tampering will be even more rampant than usual. A deal may already be done, now that the full week of rampant tampering and excessive consumption of bovine body parts in Indianapolis has ended.

So what will Willis get? One theory is that Willis will land in the range of $20 million to $25 million per year on a two- or three-year deal.

That’s at the lower end of the veteran starter scale. Last year, the Jets gave Justin Fields a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million of it fully guaranteed. Although Fields played more than Willis (Fields had 50 appearances and 44 starts through four seasons; Willis has 22 and six), Willis played very well in limited opportunities during his two years in Green Bay.

Of course, if enough teams want Willis, the money could go higher. Maybe he could get to $30 million per year.

Last year, Sam Darnold parlayed 14 regular-season wins into $33.5 million over three years with Seattle. But the Seahawks didn’t have much if any competition for Darnold. The more suitors for Willis, the more he can make.

The ideal arrangement for Willis, if the number is south of $30 million per year, would be to have a very low cap number early in the deal and a bigger one later — big enough to give Willis the leverage to force an extension if things go well.

As mentioned earlier in the day, the Dolphins and Cardinals provide an important litmus test for his perceived potential. If neither wants him, it’s a red flag. If both want him, more should get involved. And he could end up with a better deal than expected.

He was the first overall pick in the 2019 draft. And he’s destined to be looking for a new team.

So where will quarterback Kyler Murray’s career continue?

Barring a trade, which is unlikely unless the Cardinals pay a bunch of money and/or attach a draft pick to the sale of cap space, he’ll be cut. The Cardinals already owe Murray $36.8 million for 2026, with another $22.55 million hitting the books in the middle of March. The moment he was placed on injured reserve while recovering from a foot injury, the message was clear — Murray had played his last game for the Cardinals.

For plenty of coaches, there’s a minimum height requirement at the position, and Murray isn’t tall enough to ride the ride. Thus, as a threshold matter, a prospective employer has to be comfortable with Murray’s stature.

Last year, as the trade deadline approached and we poked around regarding the possibility of a trade, we heard that Murray was interested in joining the Raiders or the Vikings. The draw to Las Vegas, however, was offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. He’s now back at the college level.

Would the Vikings want Murray? They could possibly get him for the league minimum of $1.3 million, with the Cardinals paying the balance of his $36.8 million pay. (That’s what the Steelers did in 2024, when signing Russell Wilson and sticking the Broncos with most of his compensation.) The bigger question is whether coach Kevin O’Connell believes Murray would fit the Vikings’ offense.

Here’s another intriguing possibility, in our view: The Falcons. Coach Kevin Stefanski has no apparent qualms regarding shorter quarterbacks; Dillon Gabriel started multiple games for Stefanski and the Browns last year. And Atlanta has plenty of potent offensive weapons, from Bijan Robinson to Drake London to Kyle Pitts Sr.

The X factor in Atlanta will be president of football operations Matt Ryan, a former quarterback who measures six feet, five inches. Ryan may prefer a more traditional quarterback to hold down the fort while Michael Penix Jr. recovers from an ACL tear and the Falcons figure out whether he’s still the guy.

Still, the price could be just right on a one-year deal, for the Vikings, Falcons, or any other team currently looking for a new starter. And the Cardinals will likely be paying Murray a lot of money to play for another team in 2026.

It’s amazing the relationship lasted as long as it did. The Cardinals made it to the playoffs once in Murray’s seven seasons. And the ill-advised homework clause in his second contract drove a wedge that was never going to go away.

The cash and cap realities of that second deal made it hard to sever ties. Even now, it will leave a mark on Arizona’s books.

We’ll see whether Murray and his career record of 38-49-1 can make a mark in a new NFL city.