A new era of the Arizona Cardinals begins this year as Mike LaFleur takes over as head coach. He will have to answer many questions about the team’s roster, the most important of which involves quarterback Kyler Murray.
Will the Cardinals bring Murray back after an injury-plagued season in which he only made five starts? Will the team move forward with a new signal-caller leading LaFleur’s offense?
“Just like everything else on the roster, open conversations in this building,” LaFleur said, per the team website. “No timeframe on that.”
NFL insider Ian Rapoport has previously reported that the best-case scenario for Murray would be his release. He added that the team is likely to move on.
The questions come as Murray approaches the end of a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension that he signed in July 2022. He has two years remaining on this deal.
Barring any changes, Murray will earn $22.835 million in base salary in 2026 while counting $52.66 million against the salary cap. His salary drops to $19.5 million in 2027 as he counts $43.535 million against the cap.
The 2028 season marks the final year of Murray’s current contract, but the Cardinals have a potential out before that season. They can cut him after 2027 without suffering a cap hit.
Some key dates will come into play as the Cardinals examine the quarterback’s contract. $19.5 million of his salary will become guaranteed on March 15, the fifth day of the new league year. The team will have to cut or trade him before this date if they plan on moving on.
Obviously, the $52.66 million cap hit could present a hurdle, but the team can offset this by trading Murray to another team. They can also split the money over two years by designating him a post-June 1 release.
Why would the Cardinals want to move on from the former first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft? The short answer is that he has not taken this struggling franchise to the Promised Land.
Other factors have played a role, but Murray has gone 38-48-1 over seven seasons. He has only played three full seasons (2019, 2020, 2024) due to various injuries.
He also has yet to build a strong rapport with fellow first-round pick Marvin Harrison Jr. The former Ohio State receiver only has 1,493 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons. Though Jacoby Brissett replaced Murray in 12 games last season.