The writing is on the wall. The Kyler Murray era is coming to an end in Arizona. On Friday, Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon announced Murray is officially done for the year as he is behind on rehabbing his foot injury. Is that really the case? Or is that just their excuse for benching him the rest of the season?

Either way, it doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that he is done for the year, and it’s seeming increasingly likely that he will never suit up for the Cardinals again, especially after Gannon refused to answer a question on whether or not Murray will be the Cardinals’ QB in 2026, saying he’s only focused on the Rams.

Will Arizona trade or release Murray?

The biggest question right now isn’t necessarily where he’ll end up (which is still a big question mark), but what the Cardinals will do with him. They could try to trade him, but considering he still has three years left on a deal that’s set to pay him an average of $46.1-million per year, that seems very unlikely. However, if the Cardinals were able to find a trade partner, they would only take on $17.9-million in dead money. They would likely have to give up extra to make it happen, but again, this just doesn’t seem likely.

Cutting Murray seems the most likely option for the Cardinals, even if it’s not the ideal scenario. Murray is guaranteed $19.5-million at the start of the new league year in the first week of March, so it seems likely that a decision will be made by then. If the Cardinals release him before June 1st, they’d take on a $57.7-million dead cap hit in 2026. If they designate him as a post-June 1st cut, they’d owe $50.5-million in dead money in 2026, and $7.2-million in 2027. The latter seems to be the most likely option.

In an ideal world, the Cardinals would find a trade partner and ship Murray off for a late-round pick. They’d take on the least money in 2026, and there would be no future cap implications. But again, that just doesn’t seem likely. I don’t see a team willing to take on his contract, especially if they have to give up a pick to do so.

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In all likelihood, Murray will be released with a post-June 1st designation, and that decision will likely be made before the start of the league year in March.

Now, let’s look at some of the best landing spots for Murray.

New York Jets

Out of all the teams in the league, the New York Jets make the most sense for Kyler Murray. The Jets are in full-on rebuild mode. They’ve stockpiled a ton of picks for what many assume will be to trade up for their desired quarterback. But with this QB class looking like one of the worst in recent memory, I think the Jets could take the best player available with their two firsts this year and use their three firsts in 2027 to make a move for one then.

So what do they do at quarterback next year? I can tell you right now they will not start Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor, so why not go after someone like Murray on a one-year deal? He will likely be the best quarterback on the market, and I don’t see anyone shelling out a ton of money or a multi-year contract for his services.

The Jets won’t expect a lot from Aaron Glenn next year, but I don’t think he can afford to go 3-14 or something like that either. He’s going to need to be competitive. Signing Murray would allow them to be competitive while also securing a top-15 pick. Plus, if Murray settles in nicely and plays well, maybe they won’t need a quarterback in 2027 and can use their three picks to bolster their roster.

Las Vegas Raiders

Another landing spot that makes a whole lot of sense for Murray is with the Las Vegas Raiders. I know Geno Smith is on a multi-year deal, but I don’t think anyone believes for a second that he will still be the starter in Vegas next year. And if he is, Pete Carroll is throwing his job away.

Like the Jets, the Raiders are also very much in rebuild mode. They have some really good core pieces like Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby, but they are far away from really competing. They’ll certainly be in the QB market this offseason. Whether that be through the draft or free agency (or both?), I’m not sure, but Murray should be on their radar.

Even if the Raiders end up drafting a Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore or Ty Simpson, they should entertain bringing Murray in a one-year deal. He can start the season and let their rookie develop before turning things over to their young signal caller either midseason or at the start of next year. Just look how that worked for the Giants and Saints, whose rookie QBs stepped in midseason and have looked pretty good.

Another thing the Raiders have going for them is cap space. They have a projected $119-million in cap in 2026, so they can afford to out-bid other teams for Murray (or maybe even make a trade and take on Murray’s contract). I think this would make a lot of sense for both sides.

Pittsburgh Steelers

I would say the Aaron Rodgers experiment hasn’t quite gone as planned in Pittsburgh. Yes, they’re tied for the lead of the AFC North, but they’re 6-6 and Rodgers has not been playing well, especially in recent weeks. Over his last four games, Rodgers is averaging 149 yards and has thrown three touchdowns to two interceptions.

This always felt like a one-year rental for Pittsburgh, but if there was any hope Rodgers might stick around for another year, I think that hope has left the building. They will be in the QB market this offseason, and with their first-round pick likely landing in the mid-teens, their best option will probably be signing one in free agency.

We know Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are never going to tank. They are going to try to construct the best roster possible every single year, and they’ve taken their shots at multiple veteran QBs recently (i.e. Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson). So why wouldn’t they try to get Murray for at least one year?

If Murray wants to go somewhere he’d have a shot at making the playoffs, Pittsburgh is probably the best landing spot for him. And luckily for Murray, they’re going to need a quarterback and have a good amount of cap space.

Miami Dolphins

Despite their midseason resurgence, I still think the Miami Dolphins are going to get rid of Tua Tagovailoa and possibly even Mike McDaniel this offseason. With a new general manager coming in, he’s going to want to make some changes, and it feels like it’ll start with Tua and/or McDaniel.

Miami has proven they have a pretty talented roster. At least, more talented than some of the other bottom feeders in the NFL. Their offense will have Jaylen Waddle and De’Von Achane, and maybe even Tyreek Hill, though that seems unlikely. Still, that’s a pretty desirable option for a free agent quarterback, especially if he has a play caller like Mike McDaniel to work with.

Miami has the cap to make it work, too, so I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Murray finds himself in South Beach in 2026.

Indianapolis Colts

This one could be interesting. The Indianapolis Colts need to win now. They traded their next two first-round picks for Sauce Gardner in hopes of filling their biggest need on the defensive side of the ball. It’s Super Bowl or bust for Indy these next two years, and if Daniel Jones pulls a Sam Darnold and stinks it up in the playoffs (which is pretty likely), they might feel inclined to let Jones go in favor of another quarterback.

The best quarterback on the market would, of course, be Murray. There’s nobody else with as much experience as Murray, who has proven he can be a competent quarterback in the right system. Put him behind the Colts’ offensive line, give him a great run game and some good receivers, and I wouldn’t be shocked at all if their offense improves.

There’s a scenario where Jones plays well enough throughout the playoffs to secure his spot as the starter next year, but I think, if the Colts don’t win the Super Bowl this year, they’ll take a long look at whether or not they believe they can win with Jones, and if they don’t think they can, who they could replace him with.