As the Arizona Cardinals prepare for life under new head coach Mike LaFleur, they must figure out what to do with quarterback Kyler Murray. One option would be trading him away.
However, actually pulling off a trade is much easier said than done. He is set to make nearly $23 million in 2026 and is under team control through 2027 with a club option for 2028. If the Cardinals want to get back any real draft compensation for their quarterback, they may be forced to pick up some of his contract in a trade, via Ben Solak of ESPN.
“If Murray's contract is traded in its current form, I think the return would be almost nominal — a Day 3 pick. For acquiring teams with plenty of cap space and a long-term rebuild ahead (think teams such as the Jets), keeping the draft capital and spending the money on Murray might be preferable,” Solak wrote. “But would the Cardinals endure the optics of getting just a fourth-round pick for Murray to save the money? I'd wager they're more likely to take on some dead cap in order to improve the draft compensation they get in return, which would put other teams in play.”
For all of Murray's struggles, he has been the face of the franchise for the past seven seasons. A trade would signify a true changing of the guard in Arizona. While Murray's departure seems inevitable, the Cardinals would hope to get something of significance in a trade.
During those seven seasons, the quarterback has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 20,460 yards, 121 touchdowns and 60 interceptions. He has also run for 3,193 yards and 32 touchdowns. Murray was the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler in 2021.
How the Cardinals handle their quarterback situation will be one of the bigger storylines of the offseason. But it'll take plenty of moving pieces before a trade comes to fruition.
