Kyler Murray decision confirmed by Cardinals with $120m offseason quarterback dilemma to follow
Kyler Murray’s season is over.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback, who has been sidelined since week five of the NFL season, won’t suit up again in 2025.
Murray went down with a foot injury in the loss to the Tennessee Titans that landed him on injured reserve.
Ahead of a Week 14 clash with the Los Angeles Rams, Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced that his signal caller has been shut down for the remainder of the year.
“He had more tests done this week, went out of state, got another opinion on it,” Gannon said of Murray’s issue.
“It’s not progressing where it’s gonna make sense that he can go. So he’s gonna be done for the year.”
The development leaves the 3-9 Cardinals with a big decision to make.
Kyler Murray Cardinals future in doubt after being shut down for season
Initially, Murray’s injury-related absence was described by many as a ‘soft benching’.
After starting 2-0 with wins against the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, the 28-year-old QB struggled through three more games.
Arizona lost by one score against the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, before Murray went down in an even tighter 22-21 loss to Tennessee.
Jacoby Brissett came in, and while the Cardinals remain rock bottom of the NFC West, he did show out in a primetime win against the Dallas Cowboys.
The veteran backup has convinced plenty that he offers Arizona the best chance to win, and that throws Murray’s future into doubt.
But there is big money at stake if the Cardinals are to move on.
The front office wouldn’t be able to financially justify releasing their No. 1 pick from 2019 because that would result in a $57.7 million dead cap hit between 2026 and 2027.
As they would be in the market for a replacement quarterback, that is a significant sum.
Murray signed a five-year, $230.5m contract in 2022, locking him down for the long-term.
Just under $37m of the huge $120m remaining on his deal would be fully guaranteed for 2026.
But if the Cardinals can find a trade destination for their QB, they would carry just $17.9m in dead cap, saving $35.3m.
Where, though, could he realistically land?
New York Jets
The New York Jets remain on the hunt for a franchise signal caller. They signed Justin Fields ahead of the 2025 campaign, but he was benched after just 10 games, having been shredded publicly by owner Woody Johnson.
New York needs a reset again in 2026, and having amassed plenty of NFL Draft capital from their Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams trades, could easily part with some picks Murray.
The Jets are a run-heavy team right now, and the idea of bringing in a veteran scrambler who can make plays with his arms and legs wouldn’t be a terrible idea.
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Minnesota Vikings
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings could look to Murray in 2026.
They have struggled this season, with J.J. McCarthy failing to live up to lofty expectations, and missing a chunk of action through injury.
Should the Vikings decide their second-year signal caller simply isn’t working, they could take a swing on Murray, who has plenty of experience at the NFL level.
Any QB that arrives would also have serious weapons, like Justin Jefferson, at their disposal.
However, Murray’s cap charge for 2026 makes that any trade to Minnesota quite the long shot.
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns, quite simply, are a quarterback circus.
Shedeur Sanders will be at the helm in Week 14, but his long-term future in Ohio is far from certain.
Fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who started the season ahead of him on the depth chart, doesn’t offer much hope either.
Cleveland is forever looking to find a real starting quarterback that can end the long-running curse that has seen 42 come and go since 1999.
The Browns, of course, have history of going big. They landed Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans on a five-year, $230m contract back in 2022.
Cleveland gave up first-round draft picks in 2022, 2023, and 2024, as well as a third-round pick in 2023 and fourth-round picks in 2022 and 2024 for their man.
Three years on, that trade is widely regarded as one of the worst in NFL history, and could serve as a cautionary tale to anyone in the front office who wants to break the bank again.
Plenty of other teams also have a need at quarterback.
The likes of the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and maybe even the Pittsburgh Steelers could make a play for Murray in 2025, if he is to leave the Cardinals.
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