It’s been a weird season for Cardinals fans, especially at the QB position. Just a few days ago, people from around the Cardinals facility said that QB Kyler Murray was practicing. Taking reps, and looking good, potentially ready for a return this week. Then it was announced that the Arizona Cardinals would be placing him on the injured reserve. After talking to numerous of specialists, it was found that recovery would take 4-8 weeks. With the rehab process being crucial for a positive return.
NFL Insider Tom Peliserro reported that Kyler Murray was practicing only to keep his arm ‘live’. To possibly also see if Murray would be ready to take that step forward.
“If he comes back sooner than when he’s 100%, even going out there and practicing, there’s some level of risk. If you go out there and play a game and it’s not fully healed, you’re at a greater risk of a setback,” Pelissero said.
This Kyler Murray injury has raised more questions for Cardinals fans than answers. Do they keep riding with Brissett if let’s say Brissett is 3-1 when Murray’s four weeks are up? Will Murray continue to be the QB in 2026? I looked around the internet on what questions most Cardinals fans had about the Murray situation, and I’m here to answer them all.
What Is Kyler Murray’s Injury Exactly?
Kyler Murray is currently dealing with a mid foot sprain with a partial ligament tear. The Cardinals feared that it was a Lisfranc injury, but thankfully his injury wasn’t that severe since there was no broken bones or dislocations. Murray’s injury is also very critical in recovery, which can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks. If Murray tries to come back too early, he forces a potential longer setback.
Why Did A Move To The IR Take So Long?
This is a little more confusing, especially since we haven’t really gotten a clear answer on it. Kyler Murray hasn’t played since Oct. 5th since injuring his foot. He was questionable for the games following until the Seahawks game, where he was fully in street clothes. That’s when the team announced Murray’s move to the IR, exactly a month after injuring his foot.
“The reasons why we did what we did, there are a lot of scenarios out there that can happen as you get closer to a game,” Jonathan Gannon Cardinals HC said. “This pivot, I would say, is completely predicated on the information we have now.”
Gannon acknowledged that Murray as a scrambler and using his legs does impact what “fully healthy” means to Kyler specifically. When asked if Murray would be able to return this season, Gannon said “I hope so. We have a lot of ball left to play.”
Is This A ‘Soft-Benching’?
This is more tough to answer, it seems like there is an actual injury that Murray is dealing with. Murray had to keep the arm live during his three games missed, which is why he was seen at practice. The plan was possibly to see if Murray can stay in the pocket and potentially play without scrambling. That’s when Jacoby Brissett’s emergence came through.
After the team talked to specialists around the medical world, they made the decision the place him on the IR. Now if this was a soft-benching, I don’t possibly see a NFL team wanting to take their QB1 out of the mix for four weeks.
Let’s just put out the hypothetical situation that Brissett comes into the game and gets injured. Currently, the Arizona Cardinals would place Kedon Slovis in the QB position. Slovis would already Brissett’s backup but if this was a soft-benching, why would Murray be on the IR?
I’m personally giving the Arizona Cardinals the benefit of the doubt on this one. The penalties for ‘mismanaging’ an injury in the NFL could carry heavy implications. Potentially more than the cap hit the Cardinals would take in just releasing him.
Is This The End Of Murray’s Time in Arizona?
Well, instead of me answering this, I’m gonna put you in the situation of the Cardinals GM. I’ll provide you his contract, bonuses, and penalties for releasing him in 2026. Then you can make your choice on if you will be trading, releasing, or sticking with Murray.
Kyler Murray is entering the third year of a 5yr/230m extension. He’s guaranteed $36.8 million for next season, which includes his 2026 base salary and part of his roster bonus.
A key date comes in mid-March, when $19.5 million of his 2027 salary becomes guaranteed if he’s still on the roster.
If Arizona releases him before June 1, they’d face a $57.7 million dead cap hit. Waiting until after June 1 would spread that hit out — $50.5 million in 2026 and $7.2 million in 2027.
A trade would be the cleanest option financially, saving the team $35.3 million in cap space while leaving $17.9 million in dead money.
You may be asking yourself now, what does the QB free agency market look like this upcoming 2026 season? It is headlined by Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers (if he plays another season), Joe Flacco, and Russell Wilson. You can take a look at the full QB free agency market here, thanks to Spotrac!
The 2026 QB draft class will also be interesting to see. Currently how things stand, the Cardinals are slated to pick 12th in the NFL Draft. Potentially being able to get best available Dante Moore or Fernando Mendoza. Projections have LaNorris Sellers, Ty Simpson and Carson Beck potentially falling into the second rounds. The Cardinals also currently own all of their 7 draft picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With how most QB’s are performing and from what I’m hearing around the league. Not many teams are gonna be shooting the gun for a quarterback this upcoming season, so will the trade market be active? My best guess is no. Not too many teams will be looking for a quarterback like Kyler Murray. It could be possible that the Steelers could trade for him if Aaron Rodgers decides this is his final season. But that’s personally the only trade suitor I see wanting to take on his contract.
Now what would you do if you were the Cardinals GM? Are you sticking with Kyler Murray? Are you trading him, releasing him? Post it in the comments below or in the social media post you found this from.
What Would The Bears In The Office Do?
Personally, we would take the cap hit. Now Cardinals fans may not be happy with that answer. But the Cardinals would need to take notes from how the Broncos did their rebuild with Russell Wilson’s dead-cap.
Now I’ve seen on social media that this draft class isn’t as strong as past years and they may be right. But it wouldn’t hurt for the Cardinals to take another year to ‘rebuild’, draft a young QB and have them possibly develop behind Jacoby Brissett.
It’s gonna be interesting to see how the Cardinals handle the Kyler Murray situation, but regardless. In my honest opinion, I don’t see any realistic scenario that Kyler Murray is leading the Cardinals into the 26’ season.
Bear Sports News 
Leave a comment