Why did Cardinals release Kyler Murray? Arizona cuts ties with former No. 1 pick after 7 years

Why did Cardinals release Kyler Murray? Arizona cuts ties with former No. 1 pick after 7 years originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

As the NFL's quarterback carousel begins to spin, a former No. 1 overall pick is set to hit the open market.

The Cardinals are releasing QB Kyler Murray after seven seasons, a move that cannot become official until March 11. While not yet official, Murray already said his goodbye to Arizona fans, writing, “I am sorry I failed us.”

To everyone that supported me and showed kindness to my family and I during my time in AZ, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

I wanted nothing more than to be the one to end the 77 year drought for this organization, I am sorry I failed us. I wish this community and my…

— Kyler Murray (@K1) March 3, 2026

The Cardinals reached the playoffs only once in Murray's seven seasons, and he struggled to build on a solid 2024 when he sputtered after a 2-0 start this past season. Murray finished the season sidelined with an injury as Jacoby Brissett started, but the most telling moment of the year came when now-fired coach Jonathan Gannon admitted in November that Brissett would start over Murray if both quarterbacks were healthy.

Here's what you need to know about Murray's release on Tuesday.

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Why did the Cardinals release Kyler Murray?

The Cardinals signaled they were prepared to move on from Murray in November, when he appeared to be inching closer to a return from a foot injury but was instead placed on IR after Brissett led the team to a prime-time win over the Dallas Cowboys.

While Arizona never won again, Murray also never saw the field, signaling he wasn't in the team's long-term plans. While some thought the Cardinals might not want to pay both a fired head coach and a former quarterback in 2026, convincing new head coach Mike LaFleur to move forward with a lame-duck quarterback would have been difficult.

By releasing Murray, LaFleur and the Cardinals can start fresh in 2026, even if it means temporarily downgrading at quarterback. In a year without much quarterback depth in the draft, Arizona's replacement for Murray isn't obvious, but the move likely has more to do with the long-term future than the immediate one.

Why not trade Murray? His contract made that difficult. The Cardinals explored all options, according to Arizona Sports' John Gambadoro, but "conversations did not go anywhere." Gambadoro added that there was "no interest" in Murray's contract. With no takers, Arizona opted to absorb most of Murray's dead cap hit in 2026 with intentions of starting fresh in 2027.

Murray led the Cardinals to the playoffs in 2021 but struggled to replicate that season. An ACL injury ended his 2022 season early and kept him off the field for the first half of 2023. He bounced back with a respectable 2024 season, winning eight games with a roster that had low expectations, but struggled to build on that progress in 2025. The Cardinals started 2-0 but lost their next three games before Murray went down.

Rather than hope for progress in Year 8, the Cardinals are cutting their losses and looking ahead to a new era.

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Kyler Murray contract

Murray signed a five-year, $230.5 million contract extension with $160 million guaranteed in 2022. The deal didn't take effect until 2024, so he was only two years in.

The Cardinals are set to be strapped with a $54.7 million dead cap hit for 2026 if Murray's release is not designated a post-June 1 cut. If it is designated a post-June 1 cut, Arizona has three scenarios, according to Spotrac: a standard post-June 1 cut, a post-June 1 cut with a base salary conversion or a post-June 1 cut with a salary and roster bonus conversion. The Cardinals' choice depends on how they want to spread Murray's cap hit across the next two seasons.

Gambadoro reports the Cardinals plan to absorb most of the dead cap money in 2026, so the slate should be close to clean for Arizona in 2027.

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Kyler Murray stats

Murray made the progress the Cardinals were hoping to see in his second and third NFL seasons, but he struggled to replicate it. A torn ACL interrupted an already disappointing season for Murray in 2022, and he didn't play another full season until 2024.

With playoff expectations in 2025 coming off an 8-9 season, Murray flashed more of the same in his five starts before going down with a foot injury. He finished 38-48-1 across 87 starts with the Cardinals.

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Cardinals QB depth chart

With Murray released, the Cardinals still have two quarterbacks on their roster for 2025: veteran Jacoby Brissett and former undrafted free agent Kedon Slovis.

Brissett, who signed a two-year deal in 2025, could be worth keeping around either as a bridge starter or a valuable backup. While he went a dismal 1-11 as a starter in place of Murray this past season, he completed nearly 65 percent of passes for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Some of that production came with games out of reach, but he flashed a strong connection with Michael Wilson and there might have been more of an opportunity for wins if the defense played better.

Slovis has thrown only two NFL passes in two seasons and has already split time with three teams, so he is unlikely to stick around as anything more than an emergency No. 3 quarterback.

Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort said at the NFL Combine that "all options are on the table" when it comes to the quarterback position.