The Arizona Cardinals are onto their third head coach of the decade, with Mike LaFleur taking over from Jonathan Gannon after three seasons. A new head coach will bring Cardinals roster changes, so here are three cut candidates entering the 2026 NFL offseason.
LaFleur’s biggest question is, what will he do with quarterback Kyler Murray? The 28-year-old signal-caller is in the third year of a five-year deal, which means cutting him doesn’t make sense. That would mean a $54 million dead cap hit instead of paying his $52 million salary this season.
That is not to say that Murray will be the Cardinals’ QB this season. If they trade the 2022 No. 1 overall pick, it will only result in a $17 million dead cap hit, which is more than manageable. So, there are some interesting options here.
Whether Murray stays or goes, these three Cardinals veterans are the most likely cut candidates in the 2026 offseason.
RB James Conner
James Conner has been an excellent player for the Cardinals for the last five seasons, but after going out for the season in Week 3 with a foot injury, his time on the roster is likely coming to an end. Conner will be 31 in May, and for a team that is likely rebuilding, paying a running back of that age $9.8 million next season doesn’t make sense.
Cutting Conner would save about $7.2 million in 2026, which would add to the $34.8 million in cap space the team already has. More than a cost-saving measure, though, this is a move that helps spark a youth movement.
The team already has 2024 third-round pick Trey Benson, although he’s been injured for much of his career. Benson has played just 17 games in two seasons. With the 2026 NFL Draft coming soon, the Cardinals will likely bring in some young runners in the late rounds to replace Conner.
CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
The last time Cardinals fans saw Sean Murphy-Bunting, he was having a solid first season with the organization, starting 15 games and making three interceptions. However, a somewhat mysterious offseason knee injury put him out for the year, and young corners took over. Will Johnson, Max Melton, Denzel Burke, and Garrett Williams are all 24 and under, putting the 28-year-old Murphy-Bunting outside the team’s timeline.
Murphy-Bunting is slated to make $9.2 million next season, and as a Cardinals cut candidate, removing him from the roster this offseason would save the team $7.2 million.
Like Conner, Murphy-Bunting is a big-money veteran who no longer makes a ton of sense for the team. Bringing the CB back would cost players like Johnson or Melton playing time, which would hurt more than it helps in the long run. Also, since Murphy-Bunting’s contract runs until 2027, it makes sense to nip it in the bud now.
DT Dalvin Tomlinson
At 32 and making $16.3 million next season, Dalvin Tomlinson is the final Cardinals cut candidate for this offseason. The big DT was not great last season, ranking 116th in the league out of 29 qualified interior defensive linemen.
Couple that performance with the age and the almost $10 million the team would save if they let him go, and this one seems like a no-brainer. It probably also means that with Calais Campbell likely gone, too, the Cardinals will have to go after more DT help in the 2026 NFL Draft to help last year’s first-round pick, Walter Nolen, as he returns from injury.
