Insider discusses if Cardinals will move on from Kyler Murray

It was thought as recently as last month that the Arizona Cardinals could essentially "tank" this season so they could land a replacement for injured quarterback Kyler Murray next spring. 

"Based on my conversations with various sources about this situation, I do not believe the Cardinals have decided what they will do with Murray after this season," ESPN NFL insider Dan Graziano said for a piece published Friday. "...The outside speculation -- the word I get when talking to agents and executives from other teams -- is that the Cardinals likely will move on after this season."

The Cardinals signed Murray to a five-year contract extension reportedly worth $230.5M with $160M guaranteed in July 2022, but the 26-year-old then underwent ACL surgery that included some meniscus repair in early January to address an injury he suffered the previous month. Arizona, meanwhile, pressed a figurative reset button with the offseason hires of general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon, two men who had nothing to do with the franchise using the first pick of the 2019 draft on Murray. 

"If they were to cut (Murray) and designate him as a post-June 1 release, their 2024 cap hit for him would be $48.3M, and for 2025 would be $33.2M," Graziano said about the Cardinals. "...The other (cheaper) option would be to trade Murray, which would result in a $46.2M dead-money charge on their 2024 cap but leave them free and clear after that (and also save them $35.3M in 2024 cash, which in many cases matters more to teams than cap charges)." 

Questions about Murray's dedication to the cause and his maturity hovered over his status long before journeyman quarterback Joshua Dobbs guided the 2023 Cardinals to a 1-3 record ahead of this Sunday's game versus the 1-3 Cincinnati Bengals. Arizona theoretically could use two 2024 first-round draft picks to acquire Murray's replacement next spring via either the player-selection process or a trade, and Graziano suggested a handful of clubs would be at least somewhat interested in the signal-caller following this season. 

"The contract for the acquiring team would not be overly expensive for a healthy starting quarterback in this market," Graziano added. 

Murray remains on the reserve/physically unable to perform list until further notice but reportedly will play this season assuming he's cleared before Week 18. While it sounds like Arizona could go in a different direction at the position, it's worth noting such chatter is essentially meaningless until more is known about the status of Murray's knee.