The Arizona Cardinals are expected to move on from Kyler Murray this offseason. With free agency around the corner, a few options have emerged as his potential replacement.
Murray has been the starting quarterback for the Cardinals since 2019. He's been productive in Arizona, racking up 20,460 passing yards, 3,193 rushing yards and 153 total touchdowns. However, he's coming off an injury-riddled season and there's a new coaching staff coming into town. While the front office hasn't changed, it doesn't sound like Murray is on great terms with the general manager.
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reported this week that Murray hasn't spoken to Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort since the end of the 2025 season. Ossenfort, however, claims he recently had “good dialogue” with the former No. 1 pick.
"Yeah, I’ve always had a good dialogue with Kyler," Ossenfort said. "And I’d say [last season] wasn’t up to what Kyler wanted. It wasn’t up to what any of us wanted as a season as a whole. And, so, when you have the kind of year that we had, there’s a lot of room for improvement, and so we got to find a way to do that, not only at that position, in all positions, but that’s what we’re all focused on, is getting better and moving forward."
If the Cardinals choose to get rid of Murray this offseason, they'll have a few options at quarterback.
According to Johnny Venerable of PHNX Sports, the Cardinals have been linked to Tyson Bagent, Geno Smith and Malik Willis at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Willis would be by far and away the most expensive option for the Cardinals. He's expected to command a $30 million salary in free agency. Bagent and Smith, on the other hand, wouldn't cost nearly as much.
Where will Kyler Murray end up?
The Minnesota Vikings have been mentioned as an intriguing landing spot for Murray. They could use a veteran quarterback on their roster, especially since J.J. McCarthy hasn't developed the way the front office hoped he would.
“In the big picture, McCarthy is a talented player who just turned 23 and has a total of 10 NFL starts. Few NFL teams would give up on a quarterback with that profile, and many team builders are particularly enamored with optimizing a quarterback’s rookie contract. Adofo-Mensah was one of them, but his departure is a reminder of the range of outcomes that approach can lead to,” ESPN's Kevin Seifert said. “If anything, these events increase the chances that the Vikings will take a big swing at finding a veteran quarterback who could start in 2026. The only thing more damaging than making the mistakes the Vikings made last season would be to repeat them this year.”
Murray is apparently "interested" in playing for the Vikings, per SKOR North’s Phil Mackey. As for what it'll take to get a deal done, ESPN said the starting price for Murray will probably be a Day 2 pick.