The Arizona Cardinals are, yet again, entering a new era. This one leaves behind Kyler Murray and Jonathan Gannon and starts fresh with new head coach Mike LaFleur and a quarterback to be named later. And the first step in this latest Cardinals rebrand is to get the salary cap in order this NFL offseason.
Before we jump into the moves the Cardinals must make to clear salary cap space in the 2026 NFL offseason, let’s talk about what the franchise does not need to do. Arizona enters the offseason with $32.8 million in salary cap space, which is 12th-best in the league. A few smart moves will put them in an even better spot this summer, and more importantly, in 2027 and beyond.
That’s the big key. The Cardinals shouldn’t do anything this NFL offseason that adds to their cap in the future. That means, while they could save money by restructuring veteran deals and adding void years, that is not a good idea. The future in the desert starts with the 2027 NFL Draft, and that’s what the team should be looking at.
With that in mind, here are the four moves the Cardinals must make to clear salary cap space in the 2026 NFL offseason.
Trade Kyler Murray
© Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Quarterback Kyler Murray will not be a Cardinal in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. The franchise has made that abundantly clear. However, how the team moves on from the 2019 No. 1 overall pick makes a huge difference, though.
If the Cardinals cut Murray this offseason, his $52.6 million salary cap hit turns into a $54.7 million dead cap hit. That means it would cost the Cards an additional $2.1 million in 2026 to release their QB. While that’s not a cap-killing move with the amount of space Arizona has, it’s not great. Even if the team released Murray with a post-June 1 designation, it would still cost $47.5 million this year and $7.2 million in 2027, which the team must avoid.
Trading Murray is, by far, the best option for the Cardinals. Moving the QB in this way would only incur a $17.9 million dead cap hit this season (saving the team $34.7 million) and no charges in 2027. If Monti Ossenfort can pull that off, it would be a major coup for the Cards.
All that said, 31 other teams know this, so unless there are multiple motivated parties, it’s going to be hard to trade Murray. Ossenfort may have to agree to take on an even bigger portion of his salary this season or include the better draft pick in the deal to get it done. Even if that’s the case, it will be worth it to get Murray fully off the books for 2027.
Cut 3 high-priced veterans
Trading Murray would give the Cardinals $66.7 million in salary cap space this NFL offseason, and releasing a trio of veterans who have outlived their usefulness for the team will help create even more room.
First on the block is running back James Conner. The soon-to-be 31-year-old is coming off a three-game season due to a foot injury and is slated to make $9.8 million this coming season. Cutting him would create a dead cap charge of just $2.2 million, saving the team $7.6 million. Additionally, it would free up playing time for younger backs like Trey Benson and/or whoever the team takes in the draft this April.
Next is cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who missed the entire 2025 campaign due to a knee injury. With the veteran CB out, youngsters like Will Johnson, Max Melton, Denzel Burke, and Garrett Williams stepped up, making Murphy-Bunting surplus to requirements. Letting the veteran’s $9.2 million salary go would save the team $7.2 million.
Lastly, defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson should be on the chopping block. He turns 32 at the end of February and was relatively ineffective last season in the interior of the Cardinals’ defensive line. When faced with paying him $16.2 million next season or cutting him and saving just under $10 million, the choice is a no-brainer.
With those four moves—trading Kyler Murray and cutting James Conner, Sean Murphy-Bunting, and Dalvin Tomlinson—the Cardinals will create $87.8 million in cap space without adding anything to next year’s cap, which would be a huge win.
The post 4 moves Cardinals must make to clear salary cap space in 2026 NFL offseason appeared first on ClutchPoints.
