It’s starting to feel more and more like the Kyler Murray experiment is over in Arizona. The former No. 1 overall pick in 2019 has done some good things in his time with the Arizona Cardinals, but the overarching feeling is that his tenure with the Cardinals has been a failure.

In six full seasons with the Cardinals, Murray has led them to the playoffs once in 2021. They would lose in the Wild Card round to the Los Angeles Rams, 34-11, and Murray completed just over half his passes for 137 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Since then, the Cardinals have not even sniffed the playoffs, winning no more than eight games in a single season (three of the four since then have been four wins or less).

Murray has never thrown for 4,000 yards or more than 26 touchdowns in a single season. In fact, since 2021, he’s only thrown for 3,000 yards one time. On top of his struggles on the field, Murray has been plagued by injuries, which have caused him to miss 23 games over the last four years. That number will only increase as he sits on IR this season.

The Cardinals have given Murray ample chances to prove he’s their franchise quarterback. After the Josh Rosen experiment went south fast, they were desperate to make things work with Murray, but they just haven’t. A change of scenery would be good for both sides, and it looks like that change is coming. How it takes form, though, is yet to be seen.

The Cardinals have a big decision to make. Do they try to trade Murray? That would be ideal, but is a team willing to trade a pick for a guy they know Arizona doesn’t want?

Will they release Murray if they can’t find a trade suitor? They can release him before the fifth day of the league year and March and save $19.5-million, which becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster by then. If they don’t release him by then, but do before June 1st, they’d owe him 57+ million dollars, but if they wait until after June 1st, that money gets split up into two payments in 2026 and 2027. There are a lot of complexities to this, but the belief right now is that they won’t be able to find a trade partner willing to take on his contract.

It looks like if they want to get rid of him, they’ll have to release him. With his production and injury history, I don’t see a team offering him more than a one or maybe two-year deal. It’ll have to be cheap. Nobody wants to spend money on broken toys. But he’ll have to settle for less for a chance to prove himself to the league again.

That leaves a question of, who will be Arizona’s quarterback in 2026? If Jacoby Brissett keeps playing like this, I could see them sticking with him for a year and drafting a quarterback in 2026 or 2027, depending on who they like. But if they don’t, there will be several veterans hitting the market this offseason, including Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Joe Flacco. But my money’s on them rolling with Brissett and/or drafting a quarterback.

There will be plenty of teams in the quarterback market this offseason, and with the 2026 quarterback class looking much weaker than we all thought at the beginning of the year, Murray will be a hot commodity this offseason.

It seems very likely that Murray will be in another uniform in 2026. Today, we’ll be exploring some of the best landing spots for Murray should he be made available this offseason.

Las Vegas Raiders

I know Pete Carroll and Geno Smith have a close bond – he brought him over from Seattle to Las Vegas once he landed the head coaching job in Sin City – but things aren’t going great. Smith, who is 35, has more interceptions (12) and touchdowns (11) this year, and has thrown for just 1,844 yards in nine games. The Raiders are 2-7 and their offense ranks 31st in scoring with 15.4 points per game.

If the Raiders want to win some more games next year, significant changes need to be made, specifically at the quarterback position. Smith is not a starting-level quarterback, and while there are some doubts about Murray, he is a significantly better option.

I don’t think Murray would cost a whole lot, but it certainly helps that the Raiders have the most cap space in the league with over $118-million to play with next season. If they want to live up to their home city and take a gamble this offseason, picking Murray up on a short-term deal could be a great move for Vegas.

Miami Dolphins

It feels like some changes could be made in Miami this offseason, specifically at quarterback and head coach. Tua Tagovailoa’s tenure in Miami seems like it could be coming to a close, and Mike McDaniel’s seat is about as hot as it can get (though it has cooled off a bit since their win over Buffalo on Sunday).

If Miami does get rid of Tua this offseason, that opens the door for them to either draft or sign (or both?) a quarterback this offseason. It appears the Dolphins could be out-tanked by some other quarterback-needy teams, too, so if they don’t land Fernando Mendoza or their preferred quarterback in April, Murray should be someone they check in on.

Miami has a ton of talented players on their offense. If they can bolster their offensive line (which a top pick in the draft can certainly do) and bring in someone like Murray who can make plays with his arm and his legs, they could be dangerous next year. De’Von Achane is one of the top running backs in football, Jaylen Waddle is cementing himself as a premier wide receiver and who knows, maybe signing Murray could convince Tyreek Hill to stay.

I’m not saying Murray makes them Super Bowl contenders, but if McDaniel sticks around for another year, Murray might be his best option to help him keep his job past 2026.

New York Jets

Another team that could look into adding Murray this offseason is the New York Jets. They tried, and failed, with Justin Fields, and they will almost certainly be in the market for a quarterback this offseason. Whether that’s a rookie or a veteran, we don’t know, but one thing’s clear: Fields will not be the starter in New York next year.

The Jets did make a couple of moves at the trade deadline and now have two firsts in 2026 and three in 2027. They also have two seconds in 2026. That tells me they could be stocking up to make a move in the draft, but if they don’t love anyone in this draft (which seems to be the consensus for most teams), they could use their two picks this year to bolster their offensive line and another position of need before going all in on someone in 2027.

If that is indeed the plan, signing Murray to a one-year deal makes a ton of sense. Aaron Glenn shouldn’t be fired this offseason (I say shouldn’t because Woody Johnson does stupid stuff all the time, so there’s a chance he may be), so he could be coaching for his job in 2026. If that’s the case, bringing Murray in might be the best way for them to win in 2026.

They have some talented pieces, but they currently have a quarterback who can’t throw the football, and that’s a massive problem. At least Murray can get the ball to his receivers downfield. Don’t be surprised if New York passes on a quarterback in the draft and makes a move for Murray.

Cleveland Browns

Is it true that the Cleveland Browns drafted two quarterbacks in 2025? Yes. Is it also true that the Browns might not have their starting quarterback for 2026 on the roster? Also yes.

Dillon Gabriel’s not the answer in Cleveland, and I don’t think they really want Shedeur Sanders. There’s a whole bunch of rumors about who was involved in drafting him and all that, but the fact of the matter is, if they wanted to start him, I think they would’ve by now.

So, heading into the 2026 offseason, if Kevin Stefanski manages to hold onto his job, he’s going to want to get a quarterback that’ll help him win games immediately, and Murray is the best option likely to be available. He’s someone they can bring in for a year, maybe two, while they figure their quarterback situation out, and then you let him go.

I think the teams listed above are all more likely suitors, but Cleveland makes a lot of sense, too.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. If things go well and they make a postseason run, maybe he’ll be back, but my guy tells me this was always a one-year thing.

That means the Steelers will be in the market for a quarterback this offseason, and if we know anything about Pittsburgh, it’s that they don’t tank. That means pretty much all of the top quarterbacks in the draft will be unobtainable without trading away future assets. I don’t think they’ll go the draft route, meaning they’re going to have to sign (or trade for) someone, and Murray may be the best option available.

Pittsburgh managed to make Justin Fields look like a somewhat decent quarterback, so there’s no reason to believe Murray couldn’t find some form of success in the black and gold. If they want to win in 2026, Murray may end up being their best option.

Cincinnati Bengals

Alright, alright, just hear me out here. There have been some rumors swirling that Joe Burrow could want out of Cincinnati this offseason. Adam Schefter himself has even talked about the possibility of a Burrow trade on ESPN, and when Dan Orlovsky pushed back, saying that will never happen, Schefter kept on saying it could.

Do I think it will happen? No, I don’t, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. And when you look at the Cincinnati Bengals’ roster and all the weapons they have signed to long-term deals on offense, they would not just throw in the towel if Burrow asked out. They’d try to bring in a quarterback that gives them a good chance to win, and as we’ve seen with Joe Flacco this season, that’s just about anyone with two arms and two legs.

They could draft Burrow’s replacement, but I think they’d want to get a guy that’s experienced and has won in the NFL, and that’s exactly what Murray brings. Of all these places, this is by far the least likely, but also the most exciting.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Another not super realistic, but also not that unrealistic option for Murray is Jacksonville. One of the things that made Jacksonville such an attractive head coaching spot last year was Trevor Lawrence. He’s a former No. 1 overall pick who was supposed to be a generational talent. Well, that hasn’t come to fruition. He’s very inconsistent and has been very turnover-prone.

Liam Coen didn’t draft Lawrence. He doesn’t owe him anything, and if he thinks getting rid of Lawrence and bringing in another quarterback will help them win more games, he’ll do it. He’s not going to risk his career on a sinking ship.

The problem here is that Jacksonville just signed Lawrence to a massive extension. I guarantee you there are teams out there that would be willing to trade for him for the right price, but it may be difficult. Still, if they want to get rid of him, there are ways out, and I don’t think it’s completely unrealistic to think Coen might want a change at quarterback.

If Coen did get rid of Lawrence, drafting a quarterback is probably the best way to go about finding a replacement, but they don’t have a first-rounder in 2026 because of their trade for Travis Hunter. That means they’d have to either trade or sign a quarterback, and Murray could be a cheap one-year rental.

Again, I don’t think this will happen, but it’d be a fascinating scenario, and I don’t think it’s completely unrealistic.