After seven seasons with Arizona, Kyler Murray is reportedly on the chopping block. And the player who could replace him carries Tennessee roots. That’s exactly what Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort addressed at the 2026 Combine.

“Malik [Willis] did a great job when he went in there for Green Bay this year,” Ossenfort told reporters when asked about Malik Willis’ performance. “I was with Malik for a short time there in Tennessee, and had a great college career coming out.”

“So, he’s one of the quarterbacks that’s available. We’ll evaluate all our options and whether it’s free agency, the draft, just with that position, with every position, and we’ll be prepared to do what’s best for the team.”

The Cardinals are putting every option on the table at the quarterback position this offseason. Free agency, the draft, or trades. Everything is in play. But what separates Willis from the rest of the names in the conversation is the history he shares with Ossenfort.

Back in 2022, when Malik Willis was drafted in the third round out of Liberty, Ossenfort was already part of the Titans’ front office. He served as Tennessee’s Director of Player Personnel from 2020 to 2022. 

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​Since getting drafted, Willis has been a backup option. In Tennessee, he spent his early years developing behind Ryan Tannehill. And when the franchise drafted Will Levis in 2023, Willis’ role shrank even further. He didn’t record a single start that season. Then he was traded to the Packers.

Green Bay acquired Willis before the 2024 season for a 2025 seventh-round pick. ​With the Packers, Willis backed up Jordan Love. He appeared in seven games that season, starting two of them, and he won both. 

This past season, Willis finished with a 0-1 record in four games played, but the numbers told a different story. He completed 30 of 35 passes, 85.7 completion rate for 422 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. ​

Adding to the intrigue is the contract situation. Willis’ four-year, $5.16 million rookie deal expired this season, making him an unrestricted free agent. Technically, the Packers can apply the franchise tag to retain him, but at a reported cost of $47.3 million, per Packers Wire. That is virtually impossible for Green Bay to absorb. 

For context, Spotrac projects Willis’ market value at approximately $10.5 million per year, nearly $37 million less than the tag amount. The Packers simply cannot justify that number. Willis is hitting the open market, and Arizona is watching closely.

For the Cardinals, signing Willis would be about restoring stability at the most important position on the field. Something this franchise has struggled to find amid years of uncertainty tied to Kyler Murray’s injuries and inconsistency. 

Monti Ossenfort claims good dialogue, but Kyler Murray has not heard from him

The Cards finished this past season with just three wins. They had only one victory after the bye week, closing out the year on a brutal nine-game losing streak. Murray’s personal record during that stretch was 2-3. He didn’t even suit up after Week 5, sidelined by a mid-foot sprain that ended his season early. 

So naturally, the questions at the combine weren’t just about who Arizona might add or who they might be moving on from. It was also about what the team’s long-term goal is.

“We got Kyler, Jacobe, Katon, all under contract. Um, as it pertains to that position, as it pertains to every position on our team, we’re going to look at every avenue to improve.”

GM Ossenfort also tried to keep things measured, projecting confidence in the team’s communication with its franchise quarterback.

“Yeah, I’ve always had a good dialogue with Kyler,” Ossenfort said, attempting to reassure reporters about where things stood. “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.”

That sounds like a general manager standing behind his quarterback. But behind the scenes, the picture looks very different. On the same day Ossenfort spoke at the combine, ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss dropped a report that cast serious doubt.

“A source told ESPN that the two [Kyler Murray and GM Monti Ossenfort] have not talked since the season ended,” Weinfuss reported on February 25. ​

The financial stakes make that silence even more consequential. Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension in 2022. The Cardinals already guaranteed him $22.83 million this year, a sum that finalized last March. But here’s where it gets complicated.

If Murray remains on the roster through the fifth day of the 2026 league year, Arizona is contractually obligated to guarantee his $19.5 million salary for 2027. That’s a financial trap the franchise is desperately trying to avoid.

Beyond the immediate guarantees, the broader cap picture is just as daunting. Murray currently carries a cap hit of $52.66 million and a dead cap value of $54.71 million. Spotrac’s financial analysis projected Murray’s most realistic contract out date as 2028. That’s the only year in which cutting him would leave the Cardinals with zero dead cap money on the books. But his exit might come sooner than expected.​

Between now and March 16, Arizona must navigate a franchise-altering financial decision. Whether they successfully trade Murray or absorb the dead money to move on, the outcome increasingly looks the same: Kyler Murray’s days in Arizona are numbered, and the Cards are already scouting his replacement.