The Arizona Cardinals are entering a crossroads with franchise quarterback Kyler Murray.
Murray hasn’t played since suffering a foot injury in an embarrassing Week 5 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and the Cardinals announced this week that Murray has been placed on the injured reserve. That means Murray will be out for at least another four games to help heal the foot injury.
But the news of Murray’s injured reserve placement came as head coach Jonathan Gannon said that the quarterback would’ve been benched for Jacoby Brissett moving forward, regardless of his health.
With Murray at quarterback this season, the Cardinals were 2-3 overall, losing those three games by a combined five points. However, Arizona’s offense has been more productive since backup Jacoby Brissett took over. Brissett has completed 65.8% of his passes for 860 yards, with six touchdowns and one interception for a 103.4 passer rating.
Even though the Cardinals are 1-2 in Brissett’s starts this season, their offense has averaged 25.7 points per game with the veteran under center. That’s up from the 20.6 per game mark they had with Murray.
“It’s the best thing for him and for us,” Gannon said about Murray. “He’s fully committed. What he is going to concentrate on is getting healthy. He is not healthy enough to play, and he needs to get healthy so he can get back to playing football.”
Jacoby Brissett has given the Cardinals improved quarterback play as of late, earning him the starting job. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Brissett taking over as the full-time starter — at least for now — puts into question whether Murray will remain the franchise quarterback for the Cardinals moving forward. Selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NFL draft by a previous regime led by general manager Steve Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Murray has failed to live up to lofty expectations. He’s posted a 38-48-1 record, completing 67.1% of his passes for 20,460 yards, with 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions for a 92.2 passer rating.
Murray has been one of the game’s top rushing quarterbacks, with only Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen rushing for more than his 3,193 yards from the quarterback position since 2019. But that hasn’t been enough, with Arizona making the playoffs just once in his first six seasons as a starting quarterback.
The Cardinals signed Murray to a five-year, $230.5 million contract in the 2022 offseason. Murray still has $40 million in guarantees remaining for the 2026 season, along with another $19.5 million of his 2027 salary that will be guaranteed if he’s on the roster in March.
So, it will be challenging, but not impossible, for the Cardinals to move on from Murray. Just look at what the Denver Broncos did by moving on from Russell Wilson in 2024.
If Murray and the Cardinals agree to a mutual parting of ways at the end of this season, here are four teams that would make sense as potential landing spots for the 28-year-old signal caller.
Trevor Lawrence still has three years of guaranteed money remaining beyond this season, so he’s probably not going anywhere. However, Murray would be a better fit in head coach Liam Coen’s system. Coen had success with another Oklahoma product with Baker Mayfield in Tampa.
Just like Kyler Murray, Trevor Lawrence has also failed to live up to the expectations of being a No. 1 overall pick. Would a rare QB swap make sense for the Cardinals and Jaguars? (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Coen coaches with an edge and his hard-charging style would be a good fit for Murray, who wants to be coached hard. And Lawrence would be a better fit for Cardinals OC Drew Petzing and his offense. Although Lawrence has a no-trade clause, maybe a swap makes sense for these two organizations?
Head coach Pete Carroll is 74 years old and looking to turn things around quickly in Vegas, which is scuffling at 2-6. Geno Smith has not been the answer at quarterback so far for the Raiders, struggling with turnovers and consistently points on the board.
Carroll had success with another athletic, smaller quarterback in Seattle with Wilson. Murray is a better fit for offensive coordinator Chip Kelly’s offense than Smith. Carroll is a master motivator and could figure out how to get Murray in the right place mentally to consistently play at a high level.
Like Murray, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could use a change of scenery after a challenging few years in South Beach. Miami head coach and offensive playcaller Mike McDaniel and his innovation could unlock some more playmaking ability in Murray if he’s still the head coach of the Dolphins in 2026.
The end of the line for Tua Tagovailoa in Miami might be near with he and the Dolphins struggling this season. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
It’s a warm-weather city that would be a good fit for Murray and his skill set. Murray’s ability to run the football, paired with a dynamic runner like De’Von Achane, would be tough on opposing defenses.
Who doesn’t want to play for Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell? We’ve already seen the offensive guru help resurrect the pro careers of Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones. Why not make Murray his next reclamation project?
Of course, the Vikings are rightly committed to getting the most out of first-round draft pick J.J. McCarrthy. However, the Michigan product has struggled to stay healthy. And Murray, with his athleticism and accuracy, would put up big numbers in that offense, throwing to the likes of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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