3 Immediate Reactions to Cardinals Releasing Kyler Murray

The Arizona Cardinals are reportedly — and finally — making the decision to move on from quarterback Kyler Murray.

Murray's spent the last seven seasons in the desert with distinct highs and lows that serve as a snapshot for his NFL career thus far. Murray was undeniably talented, though a split was best for both parties moving into the future.

Now, both the Cardinals and Murray can go their separate paths to begin anew.

Here's three immediate reactions:

For The Cardinals, This Had to Happen

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) chats with teammate Michael Wilson (14) before their game against the Tennessee Titans at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Oct. 5, 2025. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Arizona had to bite the bullet on this, and it was by no means an easy decision.

Murray is immensely talented and showed flashes of what exactly made him the first overall pick. His elite athleticism, insane arm talent and dual-threat ability crafted Murray into a potential game-changing weapon that defensive coordinators had problems figuring out — especially when he hit the open field.

However, for whatever reason, it was clear the Cardinals simply needed to part ways and start fresh at the position with new head coach Mike LaFleur in town and general manager Monti Ossenfort not having hand-picked him as his franchise quarterback.

With the talent he has, it's tough to see Murray go, but it was increasingly obvious it wasn't working in Arizona.

And that goes for the player, too.

This Benefits Kyler As Well

The Cardinals aren't the only beneficiary from this.

While Murray clearly wasn't the man of the future in the desert, perhaps he's next in line of recent NFL quarterbacks to revive their career elsewhere. We've seen the likes of Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and others find success in different stops — who says Murray can't follow suit?

The reality is, Murray's ultimate failure to bring postseason success in Arizona isn't all on him. The Cardinals, to a degree, failed to piece together a competitive and consistent roster across his time.

Murray wasn't a solution heading into 2026, though he also wasn't the team's biggest problem, either. The Cardinals have much bigger issues at hand as an organization.

The Cardinals Couldn't Even Trade Him is the Worst Part

Nov 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort looks on before the game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Murray is still in his prime and clearly still has plenty of gas left in the tank, which — on paper — makes him a prime trade candidate.

However, the Cardinals couldn't get just one team to bite on the trade market thanks to Murray's contract.

Had a team traded for Murray, they would have taken on $41.9 million for the 2026 season. That simply was too large of change for any interested team to acquire. With the Cardinals eating $54 million in dead money, interested teams can now acquire Murray for fractions of what it would have cost to trade for him.

Murray departing is fine, but seeing him released with no compensation coming back to Arizona is perhaps the worst part of this ordeal. Who knows what sort of potential comp pick the Cardinals can get for him, but the highest the league awards will be a third rounder.

For a starting quarterback clearly in his prime, you just wish the organization could have gotten at least something for him.