Where Will the Cardinals Former First-Round Pick Land in 2026?
Kyler Murray has had seven years to prove himself as a Cardinal. In those seven years, he has only gone to the playoffs once. One playoff appearance in seven years is not good enough for Cardinals fans or coaches. He will likely be released or traded before next season. There are many different teams that need a quarterback desperately. It will depend on who needs Murray the most.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings made the foolish decision to release Sam Darnold after he took them to the playoffs last season. They hoped that J.J. McCarthy would be much better than Darnold ever was. However, this season has made it apparent that they should have kept Darnold and gotten rid of McCarthy. McCarthy has been absolutely terrible this year with only nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His completion percentage is only 56% this season. The Vikings need a new quarterback. Kyler Murray may not be the future of the Vikings, but he would be a great place to start. He would make better decisions than McCarthy.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were supposed to be rolling this year. They signed former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and former Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. The two were supposed to have great chemistry. However, that has not been the case. Geno Smith has thrown 14 interceptions this season with only 16 touchdowns. The Raiders currently have two wins and 12 losses. Geno Smith does not put them in positions to win. Kyler Murray would give the Raiders a better decision-maker at quarterback.
Arizona Cardinals
Although it seems unlikely that Kyler Murray will be coming back to the Cardinals next year, it is not entirely out of the question. The Cardinals have a lot of thinking to do. Cardinals fans have voiced that they like the way that Jacoby Brissett has filled in for Kyler Murray. However, Brissett has only won one out of the nine games that he has started since Murray went down. Brissett is not much of a winner either. Also, if the Cardinals release or trade Murray, they will forfeit a ton of money that they agreed to pay him. If they release him before next season, they will lose a minimum of $50.5 million. If they trade him before next season, they will lose $17.9 million. It is up to the Cardinals to figure out if the money is worth getting a winning quarterback.
Kyler Murray can not seem to win for the Cardinals, and that is a problem. However, Kyler Murray is still a top 32 quarterback in the league. He does not jeopardize his team with interceptions like other quarterbacks. Even if it is not for Arizona, Kyler Murray deserves a chance to play for someone else in the league.
