Cardinals ‘Frustrated’ With Kyler Murray

Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort reportedly has not engaged with Murray since the end of last season. But Murray’s camp will meet with the Cardinals at this week’s Combine in Indianapolis, according to Vacchiano. It does not appear a decision on Murray’s future will be made in Indianapolis, per Vacchiano, but it’s hard to imagine him lasting much longer in Arizona.

Thanks to the five-year, $230.5MM extension former GM Steve Keim gave Murray in 2022, $19.5MM of his 2027 base salary will vest on March 15. A trade or release should occur by then. That’s especially true with the Cardinals having grown “frustrated” with Murray, Vacchiano writes.

Questions regarding the former No. 1 overall pick’s work ethic and leadership continue to hang over him seven years into his career. To make matters worse, the Cardinals are concerned that Murray will never fully bounce back from the torn ACL he suffered in December 2022. Murray’s dual-threat capabilities have been a major part of his appeal, but a source told Vacchiano that his mobility is “shot.” If true, it could put the kibosh on Murray ever turning back into an effective starter.

Arizona’s 2022 season had already gone off the rails before Murray’s knee injury, but he wasn’t far removed from earning original-ballot Pro Bowls nods from 2020-21. The Cardinals clinched their most recent playoff berth in Murray’s second Pro Bowl season. The Rams crushed them in the wild-card round, though, and neither he nor the Cardinals have come back from it.

Arizona lost 13 of Murray’s 19 starts from 2022-23, both 4-13 seasons for the team. There were at least signs of life in 2024. That year, Murray’s lone 17-game season, the 5-foot-10 signal-caller completed 68.8% of passes for 3,851 yards (7.1 per attempt), 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, a 93.5 passer rating and a career-best 63.4 QBR. As a runner, he racked up 572 yards on a hearty 7.3 per carry and added five more TDs. The Cardinals went 8-9 with a plus-21 point differential.

Whatever progress the Cardinals thought they had made two seasons ago was erased during a three-win 2025. Murray, who missed 12 games with a Lisfranc injury, didn’t play past Week 5. The Cardinals went on to fire head coach Jonathan Gannon after the season. His replacement, Mike LaFleur, is unlikely to coach Murray in Arizona.

If Murray gets his wish and the Cardinals release him before March 15, they would take on a $54.72MM dead money charge and lose over $2MM in cap space in 2026. That would not be a good outcome for the team, but ripping the Band-Aid off then would be better than designating Murray a post-June 1 cut. In that scenario, the Cardinals would spread $77.25MM in dead money over two years (including $70.05MM in 2026) while losing $17.39MM in space next season.