After a tumultuous seven seasons in the desert, Kyler Murray’s time with the Arizona Cardinals is set to end.
Arizona will release the 28-year-old quarterback on Wednesday, the first day of the 2026 league year, sources told ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on Tuesday. This was Murray’s preferred outcome, a source told ESPN. Now, Murray can dictate where he ends up instead of being traded to a team that’s beyond his control. The source told ESPN that Murray prefers two unnamed destinations.
Wherever Murray ends up, the Cardinals have already guaranteed him $36.8 million for 2026. They avoided paying him another $19.5 million for 2027 by releasing him before the fifth day of the league year.
It started out as an apparent match made in heaven in 2019 with the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback out of Oklahoma going No. 1 overall to the Cardinals, who had just hired Kliff Kingsbury as their coach. Kingsbury, the former Texas Tech coach, recruited Murray out of high school, and while that was unsuccessful, the two built a strong relationship.
But that devolved into a messy situation.
Murray led Arizona to the playoffs just once, a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. In 2022, shortly after signing his extension, news leaked of a clause added to his contract that required Murray to study film on his own four hours a week, publicly putting into question his commitment. Later that season, Murray berated Kingsbury on the sideline, which preceded an ACL injury, the first major injury of Murray’s career.
In the three seasons since, Murray could never get back to that pre-injury rhythm under former coach Jonathan Gannon, who’s been replaced by Mike LaFleur.
So what’s next for the Cardinals? Will they draft Murray’s replacement? And where might Murray end up? Vikings reporter Kevin Seifert and NFL draft analyst Matt Miller help provide the insight. — Josh Weinfuss
What’s Arizona’s QB outlook heading into the offseason?
The Cardinals still have Jacoby Brissett under contract for 2026, and remember, he ranked first in completions, second in passing yards and third in passing touchdowns from Week 6, when he took over for Murray, through the rest of the season. Even though Arizona won one game with him on the field, Brissett produced.
To everyone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and I during my time in AZ, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
I wanted nothing more than to be the one to end the 77 year drought for this organization, I am sorry I failed us. I wish this community and my…
— Kyler Murray (@K1) March 3, 2026
Whether LaFleur likes enough of what he’s seen out of Brissett to keep him around for this season is yet to be seen, but the Cardinals are unlikely to draft a quarterback at No. 3, although taking one later in the draft is a possibility. That leaves the Cardinals either trading for a quarterback or signing one in free agency, the latter of which seems most likely.
A source said there’s interest between the Cardinals and Rams quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who LaFleur worked with for the last three seasons in Los Angeles. — Weinfuss
Are the Vikings a team to watch to sign Murray?
Absolutely.
Vikings executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski said last week the team is exploring all opportunities to pursue a quarterback following J.J. McCarthy’s struggles in 2025. Minnesota is not necessarily looking to supplant McCarthy as a starter, but they also haven’t ruled out a newcomer who would walk into the building as an unquestioned starter.
That puts Murray at — or near — the top of the Vikings’ list. He will almost certainly have interest, knowing how his career would be impacted even by just one season of playing with Justin Jefferson and under coach Kevin O’Connell.
The question is whether the Vikings are truly ready to send McCarthy back to the bench after giving him only 10 starts since making him the No. 10 pick of the 2024 draft.
As O’Connell enters his fifth season with the team, none of which have included a playoff win, it has to be a consideration. — Kevin Seifert
Can Arizona replace Murray at No. 3 in the draft?
The Cardinals could replace Murray at No. 3 overall, but they shouldn’t. The 2026 draft features one viable franchise quarterback in Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and he is universally expected to be selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Reaching for the QB2 of the class is not an ideal situation this high in the round. Alabama’s Ty Simpson currently holds that title, but I have him ranked as the No. 39 overall prospect, with a pro comp to Mac Jones. Basically, Simpson is no sure thing to be an impact passer in the NFL after just 15 college starts and with average measurables and traits.
The more likely move, should the Cardinals address the position at the draft, has the team trading back into Round 1 from No. 34 overall to land either Simpson there with a better value or the class’s QB3. That would probably be LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar or Miami’s Carson Beck, depending on how Arizona’s draft board stacks up. — Miller
