Arizona has lost six of their last seven games, but the first six were by a combined 13 points. Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett took over as the starter in Week 6, after a foot injury had saddled Kyler Murray to where the Cardinals moved Murray to Injured Reserve back on Wednesday. This guarantees Brissett to remain the starter for at least the next three games, barring an injury of his own.
Murray, 28, is currently slated to earn $53.2 million next year, and $43.5 million in 2027. His hit against the salary cap would be $36.8 million, but the Cardinals would endure a $57.7 million cap hit if Murray were to be released before June 1, 2026. The split would be $50.5 million in 2026, and $7.2 million in 2027. Cleveland currently has the same dilemma when deciding if they want to release Deshaun Watson out of the final year of his contract before next June. Cleveland would take a record-breaking $80.7 million cap hit in 2026, but may be able to recoup some of the money in insurance if Watson does not play the rest of 2025 in rehabbing a torn Achilles injury suffered last season.
Before the injury, Murray had a 68.3 completion percentage, six touchdowns passing, three interceptions, and was sacked 18 times in five games. He also ran for 173 yards and a touchdown.
Murray was taken first overall in 2019, after winning the Heisman Trophy his junior season at Oklahoma. The Sooners advanced to the College Football Playoff after winning the Big 12 Championship, but were defeated by Alabama in the 2018 Orange Bowl. Murray took over for Baker Mayfield, who was selected first overall in 2018 by Cleveland, who later traded him to bring Watson in for the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
In July of 2022, Murray signed a 5-year, $230 million contract extension with the Cardinals, with $160 million being fully guaranteed. Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon and General Manager Monti Ossenfort were not with the Cardinal organization when the extension was signed, as both were hired prior to the start of the 2023 season. The Cardinals do not have the luxury of an out clause with Murray until after the 2027 season, when Murray turns 30, and would only have the final remaining on the contract extension, a club option.
Murray was widely publicized to have been given a clause in the writing of the contract that he had to study the Cardinal playbook for a certain number of hours per week. This was a direct result of Murray found to be spending a lot of time during the season playing video games online, and streaming on Twitch, Amazon’s digital live-streaming video game service.
Listen, I watch Twitch streams every week for several content creators, including friend of the Wise Guys Sports Show, John Rice (a.k.a. “TheSportingSith”). However, this is often in the background while I am doing other things, including playing games myself on my Nintendo Switch after work, or on weekends. The Wise Guys Sports Show also simulcasts on Twitch every week, but we do not make a dime from our broadcasts. The show is a release going into the start of the work week for Mike Martinez and myself to talk sports and goof off in the fashion of a glorified Zoom call, but with better graphics and overlays. Murray partnered with the Call of Duty franchise to promote “Black Ops 6” in October of 2024, while it was reported he was late to several team meetings from being up streaming online too late playing the game.
I suppose playing video games is a better alternative to joyriding motor cycles, sports cars at high rates of speed, or being out at clubs and bars until the wee hours of the morning. Maybe Murray and I have something in common where we would rather stay in and play with friends anonymously, then get into trouble being somewhere away from home.
All I know is that Arizona and Murray appear to be headed for a breakup, and it may not be as amicable as you would think. Where Mayfield is playing at an MVP level in Tampa Bay this season, the Buccaneers are in one of the weaker divisions in football. Mayfield has elite-level receivers in Tampa that he was always promised in Cleveland, but never delivered on…see Odell Beckham Jr. The Cardinals have a bevy of young talent in their depth chart, but now need a quarterback to maximize their potential. Sitting at 3-6, Arizona is last in the NFC West, and would pick 10th in the NFL Draft if the season ended today. Only a handful of teams picking above them may be looking for quarterbacks, so Arizona may have an opportunity to reset with a larger player at a fraction of the salary.
Who knows, maybe we can get Russell Wilson out of New York, Dylan Gabriel out of Cleveland, and Kyler Murray out of Arizona, and put them all on a team for the short kings!
-JC24
Murray was taken first overall in 2019, after winning the Heisman Trophy his junior season at Oklahoma. The Sooners advanced to the College Football Playoff after winning the Big 12 Championship, but were defeated by Alabama in the 2018 Orange Bowl. Murray took over for Baker Mayfield, who was selected first overall in 2018 by Cleveland, who later traded him to bring Watson in for the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
In July of 2022, Murray signed a 5-year, $230 million contract extension with the Cardinals, with $160 million being fully guaranteed. Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon and General Manager Monti Ossenfort were not with the Cardinal organization when the extension was signed, as both were hired prior to the start of the 2023 season. The Cardinals do not have the luxury of an out clause with Murray until after the 2027 season, when Murray turns 30, and would only have the final remaining on the contract extension, a club option.
Murray was widely publicized to have been given a clause in the writing of the contract that he had to study the Cardinal playbook for a certain number of hours per week. This was a direct result of Murray found to be spending a lot of time during the season playing video games online, and streaming on Twitch, Amazon’s digital live-streaming video game service.
Listen, I watch Twitch streams every week for several content creators, including friend of the Wise Guys Sports Show, John Rice (a.k.a. “TheSportingSith”). However, this is often in the background while I am doing other things, including playing games myself on my Nintendo Switch after work, or on weekends. The Wise Guys Sports Show also simulcasts on Twitch every week, but we do not make a dime from our broadcasts. The show is a release going into the start of the work week for Mike Martinez and myself to talk sports and goof off in the fashion of a glorified Zoom call, but with better graphics and overlays. Murray partnered with the Call of Duty franchise to promote “Black Ops 6” in October of 2024, while it was reported he was late to several team meetings from being up streaming online too late playing the game.
I suppose playing video games is a better alternative to joyriding motor cycles, sports cars at high rates of speed, or being out at clubs and bars until the wee hours of the morning. Maybe Murray and I have something in common where we would rather stay in and play with friends anonymously, then get into trouble being somewhere away from home.
All I know is that Arizona and Murray appear to be headed for a breakup, and it may not be as amicable as you would think. Where Mayfield is playing at an MVP level in Tampa Bay this season, the Buccaneers are in one of the weaker divisions in football. Mayfield has elite-level receivers in Tampa that he was always promised in Cleveland, but never delivered on…see Odell Beckham Jr. The Cardinals have a bevy of young talent in their depth chart, but now need a quarterback to maximize their potential. Sitting at 3-6, Arizona is last in the NFC West, and would pick 10th in the NFL Draft if the season ended today. Only a handful of teams picking above them may be looking for quarterbacks, so Arizona may have an opportunity to reset with a larger player at a fraction of the salary.
Who knows, maybe we can get Russell Wilson out of New York, Dylan Gabriel out of Cleveland, and Kyler Murray out of Arizona, and put them all on a team for the short kings!
-JC24