ESPN experts in their annual future power rankings predict the Arizona Cardinals will fall in the middle of the league standings and Seth Walder believes quarterback Kyler Murray will be traded before any 2027 action.

A panel of four graded all 32 teams on a typical letter scale — 100 (A+) being “elite” and 50 and below (F) being “disastrous.” Four subcategories contributed to the total score for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 seasons: overall roster (minus QB), quarterback, coaching and front office.

The Cardinals landed at No. 17 and earned a C grade of 77.2 with the quarterback subcategory, despite Murray’s predicted dismissal, their strongest at 79.8.

A breakdown of Arizona’s grades over the next three seasons:

Overall roster (minus QB) – Score: 75.5 / NFL rank: 18th
Quarterback – Score: 79.8 / NFL rank: 15th
Coaching – Score: 77.3 / NFL rank: 23rd
Front office – Score: 77 / NFL rank: 17th

Looking at just the NFC West, the Cardinals came in third with the San Francisco 49ers (9th) and Los Angeles Rams (13th) edging them out with B-level grades of 83.5 and 82.2, respectively.

Reason behind bold Kyler Murray trade prediction

ESPN’s Walder said Arizona will move on from their current franchise quarterback  after a pair of “competitive” but non-championship-contending seasons.

… they will decide to deal Murray — who will have two non-guaranteed years left on his deal at that point — rather than extend him again. Arizona will recoup real draft capital in the deal from a team that will instantly upgrade at the most important position.

As Walder relays, he believes the Cardinals can get enough of a return to “instantly upgrade” but that is dependent on what’s available.

For the time at hand, Murray is stepping into Year 7 in the NFL and definite show-it season for the entire franchise in its third season under coach Jonathan Gannon.

Though Murray had a career-best year in terms of QBR (66.5) in 2024 and steered clear of the injury bug, he turned the ball over when the team couldn’t afford it. Arizona was firmly in the playoff hunt at the time of its bye (6-4) before losing five of six, and Murray threw eight interceptions in those games.

Other nuggets, future outlook breakdown

Louis Riddick, one of the other four ESPN contributors, pinpointed the potential development of second-year wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. as a “reason for concern.”

As someone who watched Cardinals games “up close and personal” last season, Riddick isn’t giving Harrison the benefit of coming off a rookie campaign.

It seems unfathomable that a player with his talent and skill level would top the 100-yard receiving mark only two times in 17 games.

Despite sharing the same Harrison concern, ESPN’s Ben Solak said he is eyeing offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and cornerbacks Garrett Williams and Max Melton for reasons the Cardinals can stay relevant among championship chasers through 2027.

Full ESPN NFL future power rankings

Philadelphia Eagles – 92.6
Baltimore Ravens – 92.1
Kansas City Chiefs – 89.5
Buffalo Bills – 87.7
Detroit Lions – 87.2
Green Bay Packers – 86.2
Denver Broncos – 85
Houston Texans – 84.1
San Francisco 49ers – 83.5
Washington Commanders – 83.2
Minnesota Vikings – 82.4
Los Angeles Chargers – 82.3
Los Angeles Rams – 82.2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 81.7
Cincinnati Bengals – 79.1
Las Vegas Raiders – 77.9
Arizona Cardinals – 77.2
Chicago Bears – 77.2
New England Patriots – 77.2
Jacksonville Jaguars – 75.7
Seattle Seahawks – 75.5
Pittsburgh Steelers – 75.1
Dallas Cowboys – 74.4
Miami Dolphins – 72.1
Tennessee Titans – 72.1
Cleveland Browns – 71.3
Indianapolis Colts – 70.6
Atlanta Falcons – 70.5
New York Jets – 69.4
Carolina Panthers – 69.3
New York Giants – 67.4
New Orleans Saints – 63