Analyst: Kyler Murray's Contract Impacts Cardinals Draft Plans

The Arizona Cardinals will have to keep Kyler Murray's contract in the back of their minds.

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals are just days away from the 2024 NFL Draft, where a massive decision looms for general manager Monti Ossenfort and co. when Thursday finally arrives: Trade or stay.

The No. 4 overall pick could be exchanged for some massive draft capital - or the Cardinals could simply stay and take a cornerstone weapon for Kyler Murray (have you heard the gospel of Marvin Harrison Jr.) to target for years to come.

According to Bleacher Report, the Cardinals will have to massively factor Murray's current contract into the mix when they're on the clock.

"Right now, though, the Cardinals might not have a supporting cast with which Murray can win. Marquise Brown departed in the offseason, and Michael Wilson is their most productive returning wideout—he had 565 yards in 2023. Outside of Trey McBride and James Conner, the Cardinals just don't have many reliable playmakers," wrote Kristopher Knox.

"And as Murray enters the expensive portion of his contract, adding more from veteran player pools won't be easy. Murray's cap hit will jump from $16 million in 2023 to $49.1 million this year. It will remain above $40 million for the next four years.

"This could heavily impact Arizona's decision on whether to use the fourth overall pick on a receiver like Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. or to trade the selection—assuming the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots all draft quarterbacks to kick off the draft.

"Teams expect the Cardinals to try trading back, according to Fowler, but Harrison's appeal could be too great to ignore.

"Harrison is the top prospect on the B/R board at any position, and he has perennial All-Pro potential. The Cardinals aren't likely to find a prospect of his caliber in future drafts, and they could have a hard time chasing one on the free-agent or trade markets because of Murray's growing salary.

"Arizona is sure to get some enticing offers from quarterback-needy teams. The Cardinals could choose to rebuff them all in order to help their highly-paid quarterback play up to his contract."

Currently, the Cardinals are No. 6 in quarterback spending across the league mostly thanks to Murray's deal. Their rankings in the standings will slowly drop over time as new massive quarterback extensions arrive while assuming the cap grows year to year as well.

As for Arizona, they only have four players on their books with a cap hit of $10+ million this season, and one of which is D.J. Humphries, who was designated as a post-June 1 cut.

Yes - Murray's cap hit of nearly $50 million this season is massive. But that didn't limit Arizona's spending power in free agency this offseason, and it won't hinder the Cardinals' future cap space either.