Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
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Former Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray.
After seven years of hoping they had found their franchise quarterback, the Arizona Cardinals said goodbye to Kyler Murray once the official new league year began.
Murray, drafted No. 1 overall in 2019, made an abrupt arrival in the NFL, winning the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Even though things seemed promising, Murray and the Cardinals never could stay consistent.
Murray went from 22-23-1 in his first three seasons in 46 games, to 16-25 in 41 games over the next four years.
It eventually all fell apart last season when he suffered a foot injury in Week 5 in a upset loss against the Tennessee Titans. According to SI’s Albert Breer, “things got funky thereafter.”
“Murray’s foot, still at around 60%, wasn’t getting better. He could play on it, but with a blood-flow issue, there’d be a risk of a more significant Lisfranc injury if he did. So the decision was made, the day after Gannon named Brissett the starter, to move Murray to injured reserve, to give him a month to heal,” Breer wrote.
“That was Nov. 5. Exactly a month later, on Dec. 5, with the team 3–9, having lost four straight since Dallas, the Cardinals and Murray’s camp mutually agreed it made no sense not to shut him down.”
All that eventually led to Murray’s departure from Arizona and arrival in Minnesota.
Kyler Murray’s Cardinals Future Had Been In Question
As Breer explained, Murray’s future in Arizona had been trending toward an exit well before the offseason officially began.
“Gannon’s firing genuinely surprised Murray,” Breer reported. “Arizona asked him to let the coaching search play out—but by then it was pretty clear where things were going.”
The situation was complicated by Murray’s contract. He was scheduled to earn $38.6 million fully guaranteed in 2026, and another $19.5 million of his 2027 salary would have become fully guaranteed if he remained on the roster past mid-March.
That timeline forced the Cardinals to make a decision quickly.
Breer noted that general manager Monti Ossenfort, who inherited Murray’s contract when he arrived in 2023, did attempt to explore trade options first.
“Ossenfort tried to find a trade solution, where he could buy back a pick,” Breer wrote.
However, the structure of Murray’s deal made that difficult.
“The problem was the 2027 guarantee, which would effectively lock in a team trading for him for another year,” Breer added.
Kyler Murray’s Release Ultimately Became The Best Option For Both Sides
Because of those contract complications, a release ended up being the cleanest path forward.
According to Breer, removing the looming guarantee would have required Murray’s cooperation. From the quarterback’s perspective, becoming a free agent created much more flexibility.
“The best thing for Murray, at that point, was to be released,” Breer wrote, noting that doing so would allow him “to make choosing his next destination a pure football decision.”
Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill personally informed Murray of the decision shortly before the league year began.
“In the 24 hours before the negotiating window opened last Monday, Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill called Murray to let him know Arizona would release him at the start of the league year,” Breer reported. “The conversation was cordial.”
Arizona held off announcing the move for a short period in case a last-minute trade opportunity emerged, but none materialized.
Once Murray officially hit the market, he and his representatives had already identified Minnesota as their preferred landing spot.
Breer reported that Murray’s camp viewed the Vikings as “far and away his best option,” with the plan being to sign a short-term deal, prioritize winning and rebuild his long-term value before seeking a more permanent situation in 2027.