The quarterback situation with the Arizona Cardinals is a storyline to follow. Kyler Murray‘s future is not clear at all, so new head coach Mike LaFleur took some time to “clear the air” about what’s going on.
However, LaFleur only fueled the uncertainty around Kyler Murray. Via the team’s website, LaFleur said Murray’s situation is “Just like everything else on the roster, open conversations in this building. No timeframe on that.”
Murray, who only played five games last year and then was sidelined with a foot injury, is rumored to be getting cut. However, Murray has guaranteed earnings of $36.8 million for the 2026 season.
Murray will have his 2027 base salary of $19.5 million guaranteed if he’s still on Arizona’s roster on March 15. Hence, one would assume that the team wants to move off from him as soon as possible. Therefore, LaFleur will have to put a timeframe on the issue quickly.
There’s an argument that Brissett was better
No one will argue that on a pure talent basis, Murray is better than Jacoby Brissett. But, the fact of the matter is that with Brissett under center, many players were able to shine brighter than with Murray. Specifically, wideouts Michael Wilson and Marvin Harrison Jr. Wilson had a 1,000-yard season, while Harrison had 608 yards on 10 starts.
During his five games, Murray averaged 192.4 yards per game while completing 68.3% of his passes and a 88.6 passer rating. As for Brissett, he had 64.9% of his passes completed, for a passer rating of 94.1, and 240.4 yards per game. The numbers trend towards Brissett. However, Murray had a 2-3 record, while Brissett had a 1-11 mark, meaning Murray contributed to more wins in a much lesser time on the field.
Murray might be eager to go elsewhere
While Murray is not usually one to talk publicly a lot, Murray has shown somewhat of a passive aggressive attitude towards the Cardinals. That suggests that the quarterback also desires to leave the team.
Murray would be a very big name on the market. After all, he is a former first overall pick. Murray has the dual-threat ability as he is very fast with his feet and has plenty of arm talent. However, the con to that is he is also very undersized and has quite the injury history.