Latest Murray news raises questions about future with Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray hasn’t played since Week 5 because of a foot injury and is now set to miss even more time.
On Wednesday, the Cardinals announced they’re placing Murray on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least four more games. Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon has already confirmed backup QB Jacoby Brissett is set to start in a Week 10 road matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that the Cardinals have consulted with multiple doctors, who have informed them that it takes four to eight weeks to recover from Murray’s injury and that it will not heal properly if he returns too soon. That said, Arizona could be using the foot problem as an excuse to keep the QB on the bench and see if it should make a change at the most important position this offseason.
Why Cardinals may want to ditch Kyler Murray
In July 2022, the Cardinals signed 2019 No. 1 overall pick Murray to a five-year, $230.5M contract extension. Since then, the two-time Pro Bowler has struggled to meet expectations. Over his past 49 games, the 2018 Heisman winner has a 16-25 starting record (via StatMuse).
In five starts this season, Murray is 2-3 and has completed 110-of-161 passes for 962 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions. Arizona’s offense has looked about the same with Brissett at the helm.
The Cardinals (3-5) have lost two of their last three games, but the backup QB has thrown the same number of TD passes (six) as Murray during this stretch and fewer interceptions (one). With Brissett starting, Arizona has averaged 25.7 points per game after logging 20.6 with Murray.
If Arizona continues to get similar production from Brissett — who’s on a two-year, $12.5M deal — it may keep him as a bridge QB and take Murray’s replacement in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tankathon’s latest mock draft has the Cardinals selecting Alabama QB Ty Simpson with pick No. 12.
Breaking free of Murray’s contract isn’t easy for Arizona, but it won’t decimate the team’s salary cap. Over the Cap estimates releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would incur $47.51M in dead money and yield $5.74M in cap savings.
Trading him to a QB-needy team (New York Jets, New Orleans Saints) would be a better choice for Arizona. Doing so with a post-June 1 designation would result in $10.71M in dead money and $42.54M in cap savings.
Brissett’s play over Arizona’s next four games bears watching. It could influence the Cardinals’ offseason plans for Murray.