The Arizona Cardinals were dealt a major offseason blow as veteran cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list, officially ending his 2025 campaign before it began. The move leaves a glaring hole in Arizona's cornerback depth and raises financial implications heading into the next offseason.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported the development on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The #AZCardinals have placed CB Sean Murphy-Bunting on the reserve/non-football injury list, ending his 2025 season before it began.”
The non-football injury list NFL designation typically applies to injuries sustained outside team facilities, often during personal offseason training. Specific details regarding Murphy-Bunting’s injury have not been released, and the team has remained silent on the matter. As a result, Arizona is not obligated to pay his $7.7 million base salary for 2025, nor the $255,000 in per-game roster bonuses he would have earned across a full season.
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Murphy-Bunting’s absence creates a major hurdle for a young Cardinals secondary already in flux. Signed to a three-year, $25.5 million deal in 2024 to stabilize the outside cornerback spot, Murphy-Bunting never found his footing. Despite recording three interceptions across 15 starts, his struggles in coverage were evident, reflected in a disappointing 56.5 Pro Football Focus grade. By season’s end, younger players like Max Melton and Starling Thomas V were beginning to surpass him on the depth chart, while rookie Will Johnson — drafted this past April — was already viewed as a legitimate contender for a starting role.
Now, without their most experienced outside corner, the Cardinals will likely lean more heavily on Melton, Thomas, and Johnson to fill key roles in 2025.
Looking ahead, this injury could signal the end of Murphy-Bunting’s tenure in Arizona. He carries a $9.5 million cap hit in 2026, but the team can save $7.5 million by releasing him, a move that aligns with their current NFL cap space strategy. Arizona is projected to have around $18 million in cap room next offseason, and cutting ties with Murphy-Bunting could provide further flexibility.
With their secondary suddenly more uncertain, the Cardinals must quickly recalibrate ahead of training camp — and figure out whether this setback becomes a long-term opportunity for their youth movement on defense.