In the coming days, I’ll be doing brief synopses for each NFL team regarding their current cap situation and offseason approach they should take.
We’ll start with the teams that have the most cap space available, then work our way down to those teams who have less cap space, to those who have work to do to gain cap space.
Each synopsis will look at cap space (or how much over the cap), players under contract, total draft picks, any players with a fifth-year option decision ahead and notes about the most notable free agent, the most likely player cut and the quarterback situation.
We’ll next take a look at the Arizona Cardinals.
Players under contract for 2026: 61
Projected cap space: $38.4M
Total draft picks: Seven (No. 3 in first)
Most notable free agent: Kelvin Beachum
Most likely roster cut: Kyler Murray (post-June 1 designate)
Fifth-year option decision: Paris Johnson Jr.
Quarterback situation: The Cardinals appear to be done with Kyler Murray. They will have Jacoby Brissett under contract but will need to draft a QB.
The ideal offseason approach:
Should Murray be cut, the post-June 1 designation will apply. As I’ve previously mentioned, the Cardinals can afford to deal with the pain because they have plenty of cap space available.
Along with determining their next steps at the QB position, the Cardinals should focus on getting younger. They should allow older free agents to depart, though they could consider bringing back younger free agents if they come at the right price.
Paris Johnson Jr. isn’t a top offensive tackle but the Cardinals might want to exercise his fifth-year option, because it might not be easy to find a replacement. Given that it’s not a deep draft class as far as QB prospects go, the Cardinals might want to look at an impact player on defense at No. 3 overall.