11:25pm: Following news that the Vikings are the favourite for Murray, the team will indeed be hosting the QB on a visit tomorrow, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
3:08pm: The 2026 league 12 months has began — precisely one minute ago. The Cardinals didn’t waste any time; the team announced its Kyler Murray release.
This concludes a seven-year chapter, one which ended as most expected it to. The Cardinals now have Gardner Minshew on the roster, accompanying Jacoby Brissett. This shall be a post-June 1 cut, which can help Arizona cap-wise. Teams cannot announce post-June 1 cuts until this afternoon, explaining the delay on the long-expected Murray release.
With $36.8MM guaranteed to a quarterback coming off a five-game season and trending downward, the Cardinals were never viewed as having a sensible likelihood to achieve their goal of trading Murray. Connected regularly to the Vikings, Murray might be headed north as a free agent soon.
Minnesota is viewed as the favourite to land the previous No. 1 overall pick, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report. This will not be especially surprising, as Murray has been connected to Minnesota for months. A recent report suggested the 28-year-old passer is eyeing within the Vikings, who’ve been tied to interest here — as Murray will likely be available for the veteran minimum due to the character of his Arizona exit.
The Cardinals, Jets (Geno Smith) and Dolphins (Malik Willis) have made starter-level quarterback additions, the Vikings have refrained. Murray looks prone to be Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy competition, though the two-time Pro Bowler is a more talented player and could be favored to start out in 2026. The Vikes are walking a tightrope here, as our Adam La Rose discussed in his most up-to-date mailbag. They’re still tethered to McCarthy’s development while understandably wanting a potentially higher option after concerning 2025 play from the top-10 pick. Murray shall be seeking to bounce back after a lost 2025.
Minnesota used the No. 10 overall pick on McCarthy but lost him to a season-nullifying injury last 12 months. A high ankle sprain shelved McCarthy for a bit of the season last 12 months, and given the Michigan alum’s early-season struggles, rumblings the Vikings were giving him time to reset emerged. When McCarthy replaced Carson Wentz around midseason, he was wildly inconsistent. The team saw 2024 starter Sam Darnold pilot the Seahawks to a Super Bowl win, and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has since been fired. Quarterback issues undoubtedly played a key role within the four-year GM’s ouster.
Murray played under Drew Petzing, an ex-Kevin Stefanski assistant. Stefanski’s past under Gary Kubiak ties Kevin O’Connell — a Sean McVay disciple — to the identical sturdy Mike Shanahan coaching tree. This may stand to make a Murray-Minnesota transition easier, however the diminutive QB’s best work got here under Kliff Kingsbury earlier in his profession.
O’Connell rehabilitated Darnold’s profession in 2024, overseeing a Pro Bowl nod after coaxing quality play from Kirk Cousins before his October 2023 Achilles tear. Murray, who booked original-ballot Pro Bowl invites in 2020 and ’21, has displayed quality work as a passer and runner but has been inconsistent. He was not playing especially well before a December 2022 ACL tear, which got here after he signed a five-year, $230.5MM Cardinals extension. The Cards held off on redeploying Murray until midway through the 2023 season, and while Murray ranked ninth in QBR in 2024 — a 17-game season — more injury trouble intervened because the QB was struggling yet again.
Averaging just 6.0 yards per attempt through five games under Petzing in 2025, Murray went down with a foot injury and never returned. The Cardinals looked able to move Murray back into the starting lineup later within the season, but an about-face led to a shutdown.
The Cardinals’ previous regime had authorized the five-year extension, and the deal brought a complicated guarantee for 2026. Murray remaining on Arizona’s roster by mid-March of 2025 guaranteed his ’26 salary, resulting in this post-June 1 designation.
The Cardinals will take a $47.1MM dead money hit in 2026 consequently of the Murray release, though OverTheCap lists the signal-caller’s 2027 dead cap number at $7.2MM. Should that split hold true, Arizona’s recent coaching staff will feel some pain this season before seeing considerable relief in 12 months 2. The Cardinals should not have an inspiring QB setup presently, with Minshew and Brissett bridge types (at best). But they’re getting out of the big-ticket QB-contract business after nearly 4 years.
Atlanta already took advantage of a post-June 1 designation by scooping up Tua Tagovailoa on what is anticipated to be a veteran-minimum deal. Murray is anticipated to be available, as Wilson was in 2024 with Pittsburgh, for the vet minimum. That would bring value for the Vikings, though the previous Heisman winner is anticipated to be patient before committing, as this bounce-back opportunity will help determine if his profession has a positive second act.