Dante Moore may have done Cardinals a massive Kyler Murray favor

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore could have become the second overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft had he elected to call time on his college career, as had been expected. 

However, Moore surprised many when he announced earlier in January that he was returning to the Ducks for another season. It appears that an Arizona Cardinals team that may look to move on from signal-caller Kyler Murray before the upcoming draft gets underway may want to send Moore a gift basket or some other form of gratitude regarding his decision.

Will "desperation" allow Cardinals to get something in return for Kyler Murray?

"The Cardinals...may have ended up as the biggest benefactor of Moore out of the picture, because Kyler Murray's trade value increased, according to multiple sources," ESPN's Josh Weinfuss shared on Monday. "'One less quarterback on the market makes desperation increase,'" the source said." 

Murray made just five starts this season before Arizona shut him down due to a foot injury and before the club parted ways with head coach Jonathan Gannon earlier in January. Meanwhile, general manager Monti Ossenfort wasn't working for the Cardinals when they made Murray the first pick of the 2019 draft and when the franchise signed Murray to a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $230.5M with $160M guaranteed in the summer of 2022. Murray has tallied zero career playoff wins as a pro. 

What could Cardinals possibly get for Kyler Murray?

The New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Miami Dolphins and
Minnesota Vikings could become a potential landing spot for Murray over the next few months. Thanks to Moore, it may now cost more for one of those clubs to acquire Murray than it would have back in the early days of January.

"An NFC source believes the starting price for Murray, if Arizona is interested in trading him, could start with a second-round pick," Weinfuss added. "That source believes if the Cardinals can trade Murray, they will. The league source believes Murray's market starts with a third-round pick."

Weinfuss was sure to note that a new head coach and new offensive coordinator may want to keep Murray for at least one season. Until those hirings are made, interested teams will have to wait to see if the Cardinals make Murray available before the new league year opens in March.