3 Biggest Mistakes Cardinals Avoided This Offseason

This is less about Murray personally and more about the big picture.

Murray spent seven years with the Cardinals and ultimately couldn't emerge as a winning quarterback. The exact reasons can and will be debated for years to come, but the bottom line is most quarterbacks don't survive two coaching staff changes. Murray wasn't an exception.

A split was mutually beneficial. There's hope Murray can realize his obvious potential elsewhere (which is now Minnesota) while the Cardinals can move forward despite a very unclear picture at their most important position.

It was a move that wasn't easy — though it needed to be done. Keeping Murray would have only delayed the inevitable.

2. Signing Malik Willis

So, Murray was sent packing — what now?

All signs pointed to Malik Willis, one of the league's top backup quarterbacks who impressed in fill-in duties for Jordan Love in Green Bay. Willis hit the open market and various connections made Arizona one of his top landing spots.

Reports suggested the Cardinals were interested but failed to budge from a certain price point, leading Willis to ink a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.

Fans were upset, though between Willis' limitations and limited sample size, committing significant money to a position that already had an established presence in Jacoby Brissett just didn't make sense.

Arizona was never going to compete this season. Throwing money at a quarterback like Willis and hoping he works out while practically taking yourself out of the race for a top pick in 2027 was never going to be a winning move, both in the short or long-term.

3. Reaching on Their First-Round Pick

The Cardinals picked probably one of the worst years to have the third overall pick.

2026's draft class was considered bountiful more towards the middle of the pack rather than supplying a hefty amount of home-run hitters near the top. After missing out on Fernando Mendoza and David Bailey, the Cardinals were tasked with a few different options:

• Trade down for pennies on the dollar
• Reach for a position of need
• Take BPA (best player available)

The Cardinals opted for the third option, which ultimately was Jeremiyah Love. Taking a running back was highly controversial given the current state of the roster, though Arizona took a player many consider to be the best in the draft.

GM Monti Ossenfort has been criticized for many moves, and rightfully so, though he's stuck true to his form of drafting the best player on the board regardless of the spot.

That includes this year, where the crop of possible players Arizona could have selected ranging from Arvell Reese (No. 5 pick) to Rueben Bain (No. 15) all had various levels of concerns and questions — more than Love and enough to give massive pause to taking any at No. 3.

Hindsight will always be 20/20. There's sure to be a player picked after Arizona that could turn into one of the league's best players. That's life.

Yet in the moment, the Cardinals were wise to do what they did — even if it's gotten massive hate from the outside world.