With the dust settling on the Arizona Cardinals‘ lackadaisical preseason matches, a looming challenge awaits. Their preseason consisted of three of their games, one each week. In their first week, the Cardinals played against the Denver Broncos, followed by their matches against the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings in their second and third week respectively. Now, a due payment is hovering over their heads.

Not long after their preseason, the Cardinals fell into millions of debt. With Kyler Murray injured and supposedly starting the 2023 regular season in his PUP form, the Cardinals are now stuck in a difficult position. However, the reports state that they have a significant scheme planned to get themselves out of this sticky situation. What might that be and why are the Cardinals in debt?

Why do the Arizona Cardinals owe Kyler Murray millions?

The contract between the Cardinals and Murray consists of a significant amount of money guaranteed for injuries. In December 2022, the quarterback suffered a torn ACL along with a meniscus damage in his right knee. Not to mention, the incident occurred during the Cardinals’ match against the New England Patriots. As of now, Murray is still in the process of recovery and thus, according to the contract negotiations the franchise owes the quarterback a huge sum.

According to a recent report on Twitter on September 4, 2023, the Cardinals owe Kyler Murray $37 million next year. That’s not the end of it though, in the year 2025, the quarterback would receive $29 million and $26 million in 2026 from the franchise. That is, if he is unable to play due to his injury, especially now since he is in a PUP state.

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Regardless, the Cardinals are cunning enough to handle the situation without paying the quarterback. They, in fact, have a ‘penny-pinching project’ planned. To escape the liquidation, their big strategy is to bring in another quarterback in Murray’s stead. Nevertheless, that is not happening in the upcoming 2023 NFL season.

What do the Cardinals plan to do in their upcoming season?

If the Arizona Cardinals come to a conclusion to cut Murray after this season, they would have to pay him a total sum of $103.3 million. Now, that is for his two years of service. Considering so, the franchise is currently planning to put into effect a contract loophole to move on from the quarterback. They are now currently looking to bring in a new quarterback to avoid paying the huge cheques. If they are fortunate enough to pick high in the 2024 NFL Draft, they can easily move on from Murray.

Murray’s injury also takes a toll on the Cardinals’ preparation and performance for the upcoming season. The team had struggled in the last NFL season with a 5-12 record. Unable to recover from the slow start, they passed through the season with a streak of seven lost matches. This season there are questions regarding the starting quarterback and how the team’s defense is going to work. The Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals, Jonathan Gannon stated that the team still coming off a rough season and requires a lot of improvement.

With Murray’s case and the preparation for the upcoming season, the Cardinals have a lot on their plate right now. Will they be able to showcase a surprisingly different result than the last season? Stay tuned.

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