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.
Cardinals Clips
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.
Before free agency, it was widely believed that the Cardinals would make a play for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. And they did.
But they agreed to terms with quarterback Gardner Minshew instead.
So what happened? Via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, talks between the Cardinals and Garoppolo “hit a snag.” That prompted the Cardinals to pivot to Minshew.
The Rams have said they’d like to have Garoppolo back. He has served as the primary backup to Matthew Stafford for the past two years.
Regardless, the most clear alternative for Garoppolo didn’t come to fruition. He remains free to talk to any team, and to come to terms whenever and wherever he wants.
The Cardinals will be cutting quarterback Kyler Murray, who’ll be available to any other team. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will need an available quarterback.
They have Jacoby Brissett under contract for 2026, at a base package of $5.44 million. They agreed to terms on Monday with Gardner Minshew, on a one-year, $8 million deal. (More on that coming in a bit.)
Brissett is generally expected to be gone. Minshew surely isn’t expected to be the starter. So what will the Cardinals do?
The answer could be Kirk Cousins.
New coach Mike LaFleur comes from the McVay-Shanahan hive. And they love them some Kirk Cousins.
He will be cut on Wednesday. He will be available to any team. And as LaFleur tries to install his offense, he’ll want a quarterback who can run it.
It would be interesting to see Cousins in the same division as McVay and Shanahan, playing both of them twice per year.
Cousins needs a landing spot. He needs a place where he’ll be the starter. In Arizona, he would be.
Money will be an issue. Cousins has perfected the art of getting paid. He’ll command more than the $10 million the Falcons owe him for 2026.
Look around. Where else would he be QB1? While the Steelers would be wise to drop the Aaron Rodgers torch and pivot to Cousins, they apparently won’t. The Jets are a possibility, especially with Cousins emerging as a potential media presence.
Still, the Cardinals have a clear vacancy at the top of the depth chart. Cousins would be an obvious choice to fill it.
The Cardinals agreed to terms with offensive guard Isaac Seumalo on a three-year, $31.5 million deal, according to multiple reports.
Seumalo, 32, made his only Pro Bowl in 2024.
He played the left side for the Steelers, where Evan Brown played for the Cardinals most of last season.
Seumalo entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Eagles in 2016 and played seven seasons in Philadelphia, winning a Super Bowl ring in 2017.
Seumalo signed with the Steelers in 2023.
He started all 44 games he played with Pittsburgh and has 104 starts in his 10-year career.
Seumalo ranks 39th on PFT’s list of top-100 free agents.
