Kyler Murray has, at least for now, lost his job as starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals. That has led to growing speculation that he has already played his last game for the team.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that Murray and the Cardinals are expected to have discussions about whether to move forward together. However, a source told Schefter that “a separation is imminent” between the two.
The Cardinals will owe Murray another $19.5 million if he remains on their roster on the fifth day of the new league year next March. If the Cardinals did want to move on from Murray, they would almost certainly want everything sorted out by that point.
Moving on from Murray would be an expensive proposition. The Cardinals would have to absorb a cap hit of $57.7 million if they were to release Murray, though they could split that over two years by cutting him after June 1. A trade would be best for Arizona, as that would leave them with a more modest $17.9 million in dead money.
Murray is owed $36.8 million next season. While there are certainly going to be interested teams, it is fair to wonder if anyone would be willing to take on that deal.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Murray has not quite reached the heights that the Cardinals hoped he would at that time. Injuries have been a problem, and he has yet to throw for 3,000 yards in a season since 2021. They also have not won together, with Murray only playing in one playoff game since Arizona drafted him.
