We are witnessing the Kyler Murray era in Arizona come to a pitiful end. Drafted first overall by the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, Murray was supposed to be the franchise quarterback for the team. After Josh Rosen’s disastrous flameout after one year, Murray was a welcome addition to the Cardinals team.
Murray has certainly experienced some good highs with the Cardinals. They’ve made the playoffs once in his six-year tenure, and they’ve been moderately competitive with Murray. However, moderately competitive isn’t enough in the NFL. It doesn’t help that Murray has been largely inconsistent, and he’s been riddled with injuries throughout his career.
Now, it seems like Murray and the Cardinals are headed towards a breakup. This season has been the final straw. Between Murray’s injury that kept him out for most of the season and Jacoby Brissett leading the same cast to a better outcome, Arizona is leaning towards trading their star quarterback.
The question is: where does he go? Frankly, there aren’t a lot of appealing options for Murray to go to. Still, if you squint hard enough, you might be able to convince yourself that Murray fits in two particular places.
New York Jets
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The biggest hurdle in trading for Kyler Murray is his gargantuan contract. Murray has a $52 million cap hit in 2026, which will automatically exclude other teams in considering him. Most teams this season need either a bridge quarterback or a backup quarterback, and any team in either scenario is unwilling to shell out that much money for a reclamation project.
The Jets are uniquely suited to be one of the teams that need a bridge quarterback and have the financial capabilities to take on Murray’s contract. Estimates peg the Jets’ cap space in 2026 to be at least $82 million, and that number could increase depending on their offseason moves. They could take an expensive flyer on Murray and see what he can do on a new team.
As for Murray, how does this benefit him? Well, Murray doesn’t have too many options as mentioned earlier, and the Jets are probably his best option to rebuild his image. In New York, Murray will have wide receiver Garrett Wilson to throw to. Breece Hall could also stay with the Jets, though that seems a bit unlikely. Still, having a true WR1 option in Wilson is as good as you can hope for in this year’s offseason.
Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers still have a quarterback on their roster: Aaron Rodgers. Despite his declining performance, it seems like Pittsburgh is not closing the door on running it back with the former MVP. Pittsburgh’s hiring of Mike McCarthy, Rodgers’ former coach in Green Bay, keeps that door jammed open, even if it’s just a crack.
That being said, we cannot discount the possibility of the Steelers moving on from Rodgers. Despite all the nostalgia, Rodgers didn’t fare well in Pittsburgh. His arm strength has declined, and his lack of mobility limited what the offense can do with him. It’s no surprise then that the Steelers have been discussed as one of the potential destinations for Kyler Murray.
With a little restructuring of Murray’s contract and some pill-swallowing on Pittsburgh’s end, this deal could happen. It’s a solid place for Murray to go. DK Metcalf is still a big-bodied threat to throw to downfield. They have an underrated wide receiver in Calvin Austin and an unheralded tight end weapon in Pat Friermuth. McCarthy is also an offensive-minded coach who, at the very least, has crafted some great regular-season offenses for the Cowboys and Packers back in the day.
At the end of the day, the best option for Kyler Murray this offseason is the place where he can rehabilitate his image. For all his flaws and struggles over the last few years, it’s easy to forget that he’s still a talented quarterback. He’s one of the best scramblers in the league when healthy and has the arm to make most throws. We’ve seen quarterbacks like Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield, who had even worse reputations than Murray, bounce back with a change of scenery.
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